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THE
ETERNAL HAPPINESS
OP THE
(SAINTS,
^Translate** from tfje 3Latm
OF THE
VEN. CARDINAL BELLARMINE,
BY THE
EEV. JOHN DALTON.
COLL CHRIST! REGIS
BIS. MAJOR
^5^x
THOMAS RICHARDSON AND SON,
172, FLEET STREET; 9, CAPEL STREET, DUBLIN;
AND DERBY.
PREFATIO.
ANNO superiore, ad meam prsecipue spiri-
tualem utilitatem, conscripsi mihi ipsum,
libellum, De Ascensione Mentis in Deum,
per Scalas Rerum Creatarum."* Nunc,
quoniam placet Deo senilem setatem
meam adhuc longius aliquantulum protra-
here, subit animum de coelesti Patria, ad
quam anhelamus omnes filii Adam, qui
hanc vallem mortalitatis gementes et flentes
incolimus, aliquid meditari, et meditationes
stilo alligare, ne pereant. Igitur in Scrip-
turis Sanctis, quse sunt veluti Epistolse
Consolatorise de Patria Coelesti ad exilium
nostrum a Patre transmissse, quatuor no-
mina reperio, ex quibus utcunque bona
illius Loci nobis innotescere possunt. No-
mina sunt, Paradisus, Domus, Civitas,
Regnum, &c.
* Already translated.
t PREFACE
LAST year, for my own spiritual benefit
especially, I composed a "Gradual to ascend
unto God from the Contemplation of created
objects." Now, since it hath pleased God
to prolong my old age a little longer, I wish
to meditate on that heavenly country to
which all the sons of Adam ardently aspire,
who dwell, lamenting and weeping, in this
valley of death; and these meditations I
desire to write, lest they perish. Where
fore in the Holy Scriptures, which may be
compared to "Consoling Letters" sent unto
us in this our exile from heaven by our
Father, I find four names mentioned, from
which we may in a manner learn what are
the good things of that land. The names
are, -Paradise, Mansion, City, and a
Kingdom. Of Paradise St. Paul speaks:
" I know a man in Christ above fourteen
years ago such an one rapt even to
the third heaven that he was caught up
into paradise," &c. Of the "Mansion"
VI PREFACE.
the Son of God himself speaks : " In my
Father s house there are many mansions."
Of the "City" St. Paul speaks in his Epistle
to the Hebrew*: "But you are come to
Mount Sion and the city of the living God,
the heavenly Jerusalem." Of the " King
dom" there is mention made in St. Mat
thew: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven." This
name is continually occurring in the Holy
Scripture. The abode of the saints in heaven
is called a "Paradise," because it is a most
beautiful place, abounding in delights. But
because men might suppose that paradise
was a garden placed near a house, which
could contain but few people, the Holy Spirit
.has added the name, " House," because
it is a royal mansion, a great palace, where
in, besides a garden, there are halls, couches,
and many other excellent things. But
because a house, however large, cannot
contain many people, and lest we should
think that very few will possess eternal life,
the Scripture adds the word "City," which
contains many gardens and many palaces.
But since St. John, speaking of the number
of the blessed, saith : " After this I saw a
great multitude which no man could num-
PREFACE. VU
ber." And as, moreover, no city can con
tain an innumerable multitude, the word
"Kingdom" is used, to which is added,
"the kingdom of heaven/ than which no
place in the whole universe is more bound
less and extensive.
But, again, since in a most extensive
kingdom there are many who never see
each other, nor know their names, nor
whether they ever existed ; and since it is
certain that all the blessed behold each
other, and know each other, and converse
familiarly with one another as friends and
relations : therefore the Scriptures, not con
tent with the name of "Kingdom," added
that of a " City," that we might know its
inhabitants are truly citizens of the saints,
and as familiar, and as closely united
together, as the inhabitants of the very
smallest city. But, in order that we might
likewise remember, that these happy men
are not only citizens of the saints, but
also friends of God, therefore the Holy
Spirit calls that a " House," which it also
named a " City." In fine, because all the
blessed in heaven abound in delights, it is
likewise called " Paradise." Hence these
four words Kingdom, House, City, Para-
Vlll PREFACE.
dise mean one and the same tiling ; and
the Paradise is so extensive, that it can
truly be called a House, City, and King
dom. Wherefore, concerning this most
blessed place I will first, under the word
" Kingdom ; then under that of a "City ;"
afterwards under that of a "House ;" arid,
lastly, under the word "Paradise" meditate
in the chamber of my heart; and, with
God s assistance, commit to writing what
He shall please to suggest unto me.
BELLARMINE.
CONTENTS.
BOOK 1.
CHAP. PAGE
PREFATIO, . , .- . . . iii
Preface, . . . - . v
1. The Extent of the Kingdom of God, . 1
2. The Inhabitants of the Kingdom of God, 5
3. The Monarchial Form of the Kingdom of
God, 10
4. All the Blessed are Kings, . . .13
5. The Happiness enjoyed in the Kingdom of
God, 20
6. What importance men attach to Earthly
Kingdoms, and what importance ought to
be attached to the Kingdom of Heaven, . 28
7. The First Means of attaining the King
dom of God, 34
8. The Second Means of attaining the King
dom of God, . 37
9. The Third Means of attaining the King
dom of God, ... . . 41
10. The Fourth Means of attaining the King
dom of God, ... . .45
CONTENTS.
BOOK II.
CHAP. PAGE
1 On the Beaut j of the City of God, . 51
2. On the Concord and Peace of the City of
God, . . .... .... 54
3. On the Liberty of the City of God, . 57
4. On the Situation and Form of the City of
God, .62
5. On the Foundations and Gates of the
City of God, .... . 65
6. On the Walls and Streets of the City of
God, 70
7. On the Temple of the City of God, . 73
8. On the Meat and Drink in the City of
God, ....... 77
9. On the Mystical Foundation of the City
of God, ... ..". . . 82
10. On the Mystical Gate of the City of
God, 85
11. On the Mystical Stones of the City of
God, . . . ; . ... 89
12. On Flying from the City of this World, 97
BOOK III.
1. All the Blessed are the familiar Sons of
God, 104:
2. The Magnitude and Beauty of the House
of God, . . ^ /. 107
CONTENTS. XI
CHAP. PAGE
3. The Chambers in the House of God, 111
4. On the Couches in the House of God, 113
5. On the Courts of the House of God, 118
6. On the First Gate of the House of God,
which is Faith, 121
7. On Hope, which is the Second Gate of the
House of God, .-. -- ;- -"-. ^ . .126
8. On Charity, which is the Third Gate, 130
9. On Humility, which is the Fourth Gate, 134
10. More Considerations on Faith, , . 139
11. More Considerations on Hope, . .142
12. Other Considerations on Charity, . 144
13. Other Considerations on Humility, . 147
14. The Necessity of entering this Gate,
however narrow, if we wish to be Saved. 149
BOOK IV.
1. True Joy is to be found in Heaven, . 152
2. On the Joy of the Understanding, . 155
3. On the Joy of the Will, . . . .161
4. On the Joy of the Memory, . . 164
5. On the Joy of the Eyes, . . .168
6. On the Joy of the Ears, . . . 171
7. On the Joy of the Nostrils, . . .174
8. On the Joy the Senses of Touch and Taste
will have, ...... 175
9. The Joys of Heaven compared with those
of Earth, , . . , . . 178
Xll CONTENTS.
CHAP. PAGE
1,0. The Earthly and Heavenly Paradise com
pared, 182
11. The Goods of this World, and those of the
Earthly Paradise, compared with the Joys
of the Heavenly Paradise, . . . . 186
12. On the Price that Paradise was purchased
at, compared with Paradise itself, . 188
BOOK V.
1. On the Treasure hidden in a Field, . 193
2. On the precious Pearl, . .,! . 200
3. The Labourers in the Vineyard, , . 206
4. On the Talents, ; . > . . . 214
5. The Parable of the Supper, . . 225
6. The Parable of the Wise and Foolish
Virgins, . . . . > 234
7. On the Prize, ... .244
8. On the Crown, .... 253
THE
KINGDOM OF GOD,
OR THE
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS.
BOOK I.
CHAPTER I.
THE EXTENT OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
WE may learn How important is a know
ledge of the kingdom of heaven from this
circumstance, that Christ^ our heavenly
Master, began His preaching with these
words : " Do penance, for the kingdom of
heaven is at hand." He also delivered
nearly all His parables concerning the king
dom of heaven, saying, " The kingdom of
heaven is likened/ &c. And after His
resurrection, during the forty days before
His ascension, appearing to His disciples,
He spoke to them of the kingdom of
God, as St. Luke mentions in the Acts
2 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
of the Apostles. This kingdom therefore
formed the beginning, continuation, and
end of the discourses of Christ. But
I do not intend to enter upon all the
points connected with heaven, but only to
explain those that relate to the " place and
state" of the Blessed. In the first place, 1
will endeavour to show why the " habita
tion" of the blessed is called the "kingdom
of heaven" in the Holy Scriptures.
The habitation of the saints is called a
kingdom for many reasons. First, because
it is a land the boundless extent of which
cannot be conceived by human imagination.
This earth, though but a point, as it were,
in comparison with heaven, contains many
and great kingdoms that can scarcely be
numbered : how great, therefore, must that
"one kingdom" be, which extends through
out the length and breadth of the heaven of
heavens ! But the kingdom of heaven does
not only include the heavenly region, but
also the whole extent of it. This heavenly
country, which is properly called the king
dom of heaven, is the first "province," as
it were, of the kingdom of God, in which
the highest princes reside, who^ are all the
sons of God. The second province may be
called setherial, in which the stars dwell ; all
of which, though not animate, yet are so
obedient to the voice of their Creator, that
they may be said to be living creatures,
according to Ecclesiasticus, " Come, let us
adore the King, for whom all things live/
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 3
The third province is aerial, in which winds
and clouds pass, and storms, rain, snow,
hail, thunder, and lightning are produced,
and where birds of various kinds sport and
fly. The fourth province is watery, and
contains seas, fountains, and lakes, in
which fishes multiply, " that pass through
the paths of the sea."* The fifth is
earthly, which, emulous as it were of
heaven, contains the most noble inhabi
tants, but not the most blessed I mean
men, endowed with reason, but mortal;
these have dominion over the beasts of the
earth and the fishes of the sea. The last
province is subterraneous, which, like the
desert of Arabia, produces no good fruit
whatever, but only thorns and briars ; there
wicked spirits dwell on account of their
pride ; they wished to be the first, but they
became last they strove to exalt their throne
above the stars of heaven, but they were
cast down to the lowest hell. And here,
also, those will be confined, who, having
imitated the wickedness of those bad spirits,
die without true repentance. Now, all
these provinces God rules by His power, of
whom the Psalmist speaks, " All things
serve Thee/ This vast and mighty king
dom God will share with those that love
Him.
Wherefore, Christian soul, rejoice, and
be not confined within the narrow limits of
things present. Why dost thou labour and
toil so much, merely to gain a small part of
4 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
this world, whilst, if thou wish, thou canst
possess the whole? Truly, if men would
seriously aspire after this kingdom, if they
would attentively meditate upon it, they
would blush to wage war for such narrow
portions of the earth. man ! God offers
thee the possession of His immense and
eternal kingdom,, whilst thou fightest for
one small city, wherein many crimes are
committed, and other innumerable sins,
by which the King of Kings is justly
provoked to anger. Where is thy pru
dence? where thy judgment? But 1 do
not speak in this manner as if I supposed,
that it was unlawful for Christians to
enter into war for the defence of their
cities. I know that just wars are allowed,
not only by the holy Fathers, (especially
St. Austin and St. Thomas, the prince of
scholastic writers,) but also by the precur
sor of pur Lord "greater than whom hath
not arisen amongst those born of woman/
Pie said to^the soldiers^ not that they should
desert their service as being unlawful, but
that, being content with their pay, they
should " do violence to no man/ 5 "" In my
"Controversies" I have also defended just
wars. I dp not therefore speak against war
simply in itself; but I exhort you to follow
that which is more perfect, and often more
useful, according to what St. Paul says to
the Corinthians : "Already indeed there is
plainly a fault among you, that you have
* St. Luke, iii. 14.
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 5
lawsuits one with another. Why do you
not rather hate wrong ? Why do you not
rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?"
(1 Epist. to Corinthians v. 7.) And^St.
James adds in his Epistle : " From whence
are wars and contentions among you ? Are
they not hence from your concupiscence?
You covet, and have not: you kill, and
envy, and cannot obtain. You contend
and war, and have not, because you ask
not." (chap, iv.) Whoever earnestly aspires
after the kingdom of heaven, would not
easily be moved to war by the loss of one
city ; but he would seek after those who
could settle the dispute without expense
and danger. But let us proceed to other
points.
CHAPTER II.
THE INHABITANTS OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
THE kingdom of heaven is called a
" Habitation/ because it contains such a
multitude of different inhabitants ; no palace
or city, but only large kingdoms contain
such numbers. There, as St. Paul tells us
in his Epistle to the Hebrews, are many
thousands of angels ; there also are " the
spirits of the Just made perfect," to whom
belong all who have departed in the Lord
from Abel, even to the last good man that
will die at the end of the world. But not
6 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
only will the souls of the Just be there, but
also their glorious bodies, each of which
shall shine like the sun in the kingdom of
their Father, as our Lord assures us in St.
Matthew. With regard to the angels, we
who live on this earth scarcely know any
thing of them but their names. * We learn
from the vision of the prophet Isaias,
(chap, vi.) that some are called Seraphim,
and others Cherubim :f some Thrones,
others Dominations : some Principalities,
others Powers, as St. Paul mentions in his
Epistle to the Colossians: (chap. i. ver. 16.)
in his Epistle to the Ephesians he also
speaks of "Virtues," and in another place,
Archangels are spoken of: Angels are
finally ranked amongst them, of whom there
is so frequent mention throughout the
Holy Scriptures. From these nine names,
it is the unanimous opinion of learned
doctors, that there are nine " orders" of
angels, each of which contains many thou
sands, according to the prophet Daniel:
" Thousands of thousands ministered to
him, and ten thousand times a hundred
thousand stood before him." (chap. vii. 10.)
And Job asks : " Is there any numbering
of his soldiers?"
But although all the angels are doubtless
most happy, and wonderfully resplendent
* See Alban Butler, Sept. 29th, on St. Michael,
f These are two pure Hebrew words; the first means " to
burn, or burn up;" the second, " to be like the Most High; *
(Vide Geseiiius Diet, in Voce, translated by Leo.)
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. /
with the glory of every divine gift, yet those
are called " Seraphim" who burn with the
flames of love : the others " Cherubim" who
shine with the splendour of knowledge :
those are named " Thrones" who enjoy an
inexpressible tranquillity in the divine con
templation: those "Dominations" who rule
this lower world, as the ministers of a
mighty commander: others "Powers,"
because they do signs and wonders by the
command of their Almighty Lord : others
" Principalities," because they have power
over the kings and princes of the world :
some again are named "Archangels," be
cause they assist the prelates of the Church:
and many, in fine, are called " Angels,"
since they are the guardians and protectors
of all that live upon the earth. But these
are not the only significations of the names
of the angels:"" they are also images or
representations of the greatness of God:
thus the seraphim, by their burning love,
represent as it were in a glass, the infinite
love of God which alone induced Him to
create the angels, man, and all other crea
tures, whom He still preserves. The che
rubim in like manner represent the infinite
wisdom of God, which hath regulated all
things by number, weight, and measure.
The thrones also, by a perfect image as it
were, show us that profound " rest" which
God enjoys on His throne ; who, whilst all
* See the work on the " Heavenly Hierarchy," ascribed
by some to St. Diouysius the Areopagite.
8 THE KINGDOM OF GOD,, OR THE
tilings are in motion, remains unalterable,
tranquilly ruling and directing events. The
dominations too tell us, that it is God who
alone truly rules all things, because He
alone can either preserve them, or anni
hilate them. The virtues convince us, that
itjs God "who alone doth wonderful
things/ and who hath reserved to himself
alone to renew signs, and to multiply won
ders. The powers signify by their name,
that God alone is absolutely and truly
powerful, to whom nothing is impossible,
because in Him alone true power resides.
The principalities signify, that God is the
Prince over the kings of the earth, the
King of kings, and Lord of lords. The arch
angels signify, that God is the true High
Priest of all the churches. The angels,
that God is the true Father of orphans ;
and that although He hath given His angels
to be our guardians, He himself is present
with each one, to guard and protect him.
The prophet who has said, " He hath given
his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in
all thy ways," introduces the Almighty
thus speaking : "I am with him in tribu
lation, I will deliver him, and I will glorify
him." (Psalm xc.) And our Lord, who had
said, " their angels in heaven always see
the face of my Father who is in heaven/*
has also added: "Are not two sparrows
sold for a farthing ; and not one of them
shall fall upon the ground without your
Father. But the very hairs of your head
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 9
are all numbered. Fear not therefore;
better are you than many sparrows." (St.
Matthew, chap. x. 29, &c.) Such are the
few points that we know about the angels,
concerning whom you may read St. Ber
nard on " Consideration/ " from whom I
have taken these details.
With these nine orders of the angels,
correspond on the other hand that multi
tude of holy men, which no one can num
ber, as we learn from the Apocalypse. This
multitude contains also nine "orders ;" for
some are patriarchs, some prophets, some
apostles, some martyrs and confessors;
whilst others are pastors, doctors, priests,
Levites, monks, and hermits, holy women,
virgins, widows, or married people. Where
fore, my soul, I beseech thee to consider
what great happiness it will be, to be
united with such great saints ! St. Jerome
mentions,! that he visited many provinces,
and many people, and crossed many seas,
that he might see and hear those celebrated
men, whom he had known by their works.
Queen of Saba came from the ends of the
earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon ; and
to St. Antony, the hermit, men hastened
from all parts, being moved by the fame of
his sanctity: even Emperors themselves
courted his friendship. But what will it
be to behold hereafter so many angels, so
* Lib. v.
f Epistola ad Paulinum.
1.0 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
many just men, to be united with them in
the closest friendship, and to be made par
takers of their happiness? Were we to
behold, in this our exile, one angel arrayed
in all his beauty, who would not eagerly
wish to meet him ? What therefore must it
be, to behold all the angels in one place ?
And if only one of the prophets, apostles,
or doctors of the Church were to descend
from heaven, with what curiosity and atten
tion would he be heard ! Now in the
kingdom of God, we shall be allowed to
behold not one only, but all the prophets,
apostles, and doctors, with whom we shall
continually hold sweet converse. How
greatly does the sun rejoice the whole earth:
but what will be the glory from innumerable
Suns in the kingdom of God, all animate,
intelligent, and exulting in their joy ! This
union with the angels and men, all of whom
are most wise and excellent, appears to me
so delightful, that I consider it alone will
be a great happiness, and on this account,
would willingly be deprived of all the plea
sures of this life.
CHAPTER III.
THE MONARCHICAL FORM OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
THE third reason why it is called a
" Kingdom" is, because there alone is to be
found a perfect form of government. There
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 11
is this difference between a kingdom and a
republic : in the former the supreme power
is possessed by one person : in the latter it
is divided amongst many. Bat in the
kingdoms of this world, supreme power in
the true and proper sense of the word,
cannot exist. For although a king, without
the advice or consent of others, can com
mand something to be done ; yet it cannot
be accomplished without the approbation of
his subjects. It even often happens that
he cannot give a command, or at least will
not dare to do so, should all his subjects be
against him. How many great kings and
emperors have there been, who were either
deserted by their army, or put to death !
History is full of such examples. Supreme
power therefore is useless to the kings of
this world, because they can never execute
any thing, unless their subjects approve of
it. But the power of God, who is truly
and essentially King of kings, dependeth
upon no one, but His own will : and since
He is omnipotent, He can do all things ;
neither doth He stand in need of soldiers,
arms, or any external aid. And when He
makes use of the ministration of angels,
men, or even inanimate things, He does so
because He wills, not because he requires
them. For He who without any assistance
made heaven and earth, and all things
therein, by His only word, and who pre
serves them by His will, can also govern
them by His power alone. But God reigus
12 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
in the truest sense of the word, not only
because He possesses supreme power ; but
also because He alone knows how to govern:
He stands not in need of any council, or
ministers of state. Who hath known
the mind of the Lord? or who hath been
his counsellor?" says St. Paul: and be
fore him the prophet ^ Isaias : Who
hath forwarded the Spirit of the Lord?
or who hath been his counsellor, and
hath taught him? With ^ whom hath he
consulted, and who hath instructed him,
and taught him the path of justice, and
taught him knowledge, and showed him
the way of understanding?" (chap. xl. 13,
14;) Wherefore a monarchy, which is the
best form of government, is to be found in
God alone in its true and perfect nature.
He is not only " terrible over all the king?
of the earth," as it is said in the Psalms;
but He is also " King above all gods,"
as it is expressed in another place. Others
are false gods or rather devils, according
the prophet : " All the gods of the Gentiles
are devils." (Psalm xcv.) Some are gods
by participation, as the kings of the earth
and the angels of heaven, thus " I have
said : You are gods and all of you the sons
of the Most High." (Psalm Ixxxi.) But
all these gods are under the power of that
God, who reigneth in heaven : He alone
then is truly a great king. This Nabu-
chodonosor, king of Babylon, acknow
ledged in these words, after he had suffered
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 13
a most severe punishment for his pride:
" Now at the end of the days, I Nab itch o-
donosor lifted up my eyes to heaven, and
my sense was restored to me : and I
blessed the most High, and I praised and
florified Him that liveth for ever : for his
ingdorn is an everlasting power, and his
kingdom is to all generations. And all the
inhabitants of the earth are reputed as
nothing before him : for He doth according
to his will, as well with the powers of
heaven, as among the inhabitants of the
earth : and there is none that can resist His
hand, and say to him: Why hast thou
done it?" (Daniel, chap. iv. 31, &c.) Thus
he spoke, giving us all an example to
humble ourselves under the powerful hand
of God, as St. Peter admonishes us : and
to be more delighted with serving the King
of kings, that we may experience His good
ness, than proudly to resist His will, lest we
be forced to feel the weight of His avenging
hand.
CHAPTER IV.
ALL THE BLESSED ARE KINGS.
THE fourth reason (and a very powerful
one) why heaven is called a kingdom is
because all the Blessed in heaven are kings,
and all the conditions of being such most
aptly apply to them. For although the saints
14 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
in heaven serve God, as it is mentioned in the
Apocalypse, yet at the same time they reign
also ; for in the same book, and in the
same chapter, where it is said, " His ser
vants shall serve Him/ a little lower we
are told that " They shall reign for ever
and ever." (chap, xxii.) But all the Bless
ed will not only serve and reign at the
same time ; they will also be called servants
and sons. Thus God speaks in the Apoca
lypse : " He that shall overcome shall pos
sess these things, and I will be his God,
and he shall be my son." (chap. xxi. 7.)
Wherefore, as they can be both servants
and sons, so also they can be both servants
and kings ; they are servants because they
were created by God, to whom they owe
obedience, and from whom they receive
their being, and all things else ; and
David makes no exception when he says:
"All creatures serve him." They are also
the sons of God, since they were born of
God by water and the Holy Spirit ; they
are kings, too, because they have received
the dignity from the King of kings, who is
called by this name in the Apocalypse,
" King of kings, and Lord of lords." (chap.
xix. 16.)
t But it may perhaps be said, that it is not
difficult for one to be both a king of the earth,
and a servant of God, for thus the Psalmist
speaks : And now, ye kings, under
stand, receive instruction, you that judge
the earth. Serve ye the Lord with fear : and
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 15
rejoice unto him with trembling." (Ps. ii.)
But to be a king in the kingdom of heaven,
and a servant of the King of heaven who
can understand or comprehend this ? And
yet such is the truth, which faith believes
and understands. The just, therefore, will
also be kings in the kingdom of heaven,
because they will be made partakers of the
royal dignity, and power, and riches, &c.,
of that kingdom. This is what the Holy
Spirit clearly teaches us, especially in
three passages from the Scripture ; the
first of which occurs ^in St. Matthew:
" Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven/ (chap, v.) In
another part: " Come, ye blessed of my
Father, possess you the kingdom prepared
for you from the foundation of the world."
(St. Matthew, chap, xxv.) The third pas
sage is from the Apocalypse : To him
that shall overcome I will give to sit with
me on my throne : as I also have overcome,
and have sat down with my Father in His
throne." (chap, iii.) What can be clearer
than these words ? The kingdom of heaven
is promised the possession of it will be
given to us at the last day we shall have
a seat on the royal throne of the Son of
God, and of His Father, our eternal King:
what is this but a participation of the same
kingdom, which God possesses from eter
nity? St. Paul also adds his testimony :
"If we suffer, we shall reign with Him;"
and St. John likewise, in the beginning of
16 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OH THE
the Apocalypse: "I, John, your brother,
and your partner in tribulation, and in the
kingdom/ &c. And St. James, in his
Epistle : " Hath not God chosen the poor
in this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the
kingdom which God hath promised to them
that love Him?" (chap. ii. 5.) But the
kingdom of heaven is not lessened, because
it is divided amongst innumerable angels
and men. This kingdom is not like the
kingdoms of the world, which cannot well
be divided ; but should they be distributed
into parts, the division weakens them, and
at length they are destroyed. But not so
with the kingdom above, which is perfectly
possessed by all, and wholly by each one,
just as the sun is seen by all and each of
the inhabitants of earth, whom it equally
enlightens and vivifies. But this point will
be more easily understood when we explain
the good things that are to be found in the
kingdom of heaven. We must now dwell
on the conditions or qualities which are re
quired in kings, so that we may be con
vinced the saints and blessed spirits can
justly be called the Kings of the kingdom of
heaven.
There are two qualities especially neces
sary for kings -wisdom and justice. But
with wisdom the Scripture joins prudence
and counsel, and all other things that relate
to intelligence ; with justice are united
mercy, clemency, and other virtues that
adorn and perfect the will. Wisdom., there-
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 17
fore, is required that the king may have
knowledge ; justice, that he may govern his
subjects with equity. On this account,
Solomon, in the beginning of his reign,
being admonished by God to ask for what
he wished, asked for wisdom, which is the
chief of all the virtues required in kings.
His petition was acceptable before God, as
we read in the third Book of Kings, and
therefore he obtained what he prayed for.
Would that he had asked for justice also :
perhaps he would not then have fallen into
so many crimes. But more justly does
David speak in that psalm, where he prays
for blessings on Solomon his son : " Give
to the king thy judgment, God ; and to
the king s son thy justice." (Psalm Ixxi.)
From these words it appears that he fore
saw Solomon would ask for wisdom, and
therefore David prayed that "justice and
judgment" might be given to him, which
without wisdom cannot exist, although wis
dom, though but imperfectly, may exist
without justice. The Book of Wisdom,
which was written for the instruction of
kings, thus speaks : " Love justice, you
that are judges of the earth." (chap, i.) It
commences from "justice," because it is
not only in itself necessary for kings, but
also because it disposes us to receive wis
dom. Thus, a little lower, it adds : " For
wisdom will not enter into a malicious soul,
nor dwell in a body subject to sin." In
fine, Jeremias, foretelling the virtues of
At
18 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
Christ, the eternal King says : " Behold,
the days come, saith the Lord, and I will
raise up to David a just branch: and a
king shall reign and be wise, and shall
execute judgment and justice in the earth/
(chap, xxiii. 5.) Truly, therefore, are "wis
dom and justice required in kings."
Now every one must acknowledge, that
all the blessed in heaven, though they may
have been whilst on earth simple and igno
rant, are now possessed of the deepest wis
dom, and so eminently endowed with the
virtue of justice, that they might justly
become kings of any kingdom. For all
the blessed behold the very essence of God
Himself, which is the " first cause" of all
things ; and thereby, from this fountain of
uncreated wisdom, they drink in such wis
dom as neither Solomon nor any other
mortal possessed, except our Lord Jesus
Christ, who, even during the time of His
mortal life, saw God, for in Him "were hid
all the treasures of wisdom and know
ledge. " But, besides the wisdom which
the blessed possess, there is also given
to them a full measure of justice, so that
they can never sin, nor even wish to sin ;
thus St. Augustin speaks:* The first
liberty of the Will was, to be able not to
commit sin, but the last will be much
greater, not to be able to sin." But he
who cannot commit sin, cannot be unjust ;
and since perfect charity is the same as
* Liber de Correptione et Gratia, cap. 12.
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 19
perfect justice, as St. Augustine asserts,*
he who loves not God with the greatest and
most perfect love, cannot possess the perfect
justice. Now, they who behold God that
infinite and pure Being cannot certainly
turn away from Him, but they must ever
love Him with the most ardent love ; whence
it follows, that all the saints in heaven are
perfectly wise, perfectly just, and therefore
most proper to reign.
Arise then, my soul, and as far as possi
ble consider, what happiness it will be to
reign with God ! And thus -to omit other
considerations penetrate heaven .itself on
the wings of contemplation, and behold
that glorious throne of which our Saviour
speaks: "To him that shall overcome, I
will give to sit with me on my throne, as 1
also have overcome, and have sat down
with my Father in His throne/ (Apoc.
ohap. iii, 21.) How great will the glory be
for that just soul to be placed with such an
infinite multitude of angels, on the very
throne of Christ and of God ! And by His
just judgment to be proclaimed a conqueror
over the world, and the rulers thereof, and
all invisible powers ! And how will this soul
exult with gladness, when, delivered from
every toil and danger, she shall behold herself
gloriously triumphant over all her enemies !
What more will she desire, when she shall
be made a partaker of all the gifts of her
Lord, even of a participation of His throne
* Lib. de Natura et Gratia, (cap. ult.)
20 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
and Kingdom ? Oh, how zealously do they
fight on earth, and with what patience do
they bear all things for the love of Christ,
who, with a lively faith and a sure hope,
contemplate such divine honours in hea
ven !
CHAPTER V.
THE HAPPINESS ENJOYED IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
THE fifth reason, it appears to me, why
heaven is called a kingdom is, because the
good things enjoyed by the blessed seem
something like those possessed by the kings
of the earth ; but they are so much greater
and more excellent as heaven is superior to
earth. Wherefore, the kingdom that is
prepared for the blessed is not simply call
ed a " kingdom/ but the "kingdom of
heaven," that so we may understand the
difference between the pleasures of each
the one being limited, base, mean, and
temporal ; whilst the others are boundless,
noble, spiritual, and above all, eternal.
The goods of an earthly kingdom are con
sidered to be, power, honour, riches, and
pleasures. An earthly monarch can com
mand his subjects ; and if they obey him
not, he can imprison them, banish them,
fine them, scourge them, or put them to
death. Hence kings are feared by the
people, for they appear, as it were, to be
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 21
gods. Again, kings wish to be honoured
with almost a supernatural veneration, by
the knee being bent before them, as if in
adoration ; and often they will not deign to
listen to us, unless we bow down to the
earth ; and whenever they appear in public,
they wish every one to make way for them.
In addition to this, they require a large
"exchequer," full of gold and silver;
neither do they count their money by hun
dreds or thousands of pounds, but by ten
hundred thousands ; and with reason, since
they are obliged to support, not ten or
twenty servants, but to lead whole armies
forth against their enemies. Lastly, they
do not condescend to indulge in ordinary
amusements, but only in those which they
suppose become their royal majesty such
as banquets, hunting, and the theatre on
which they squander immense sums of
money. Now these are the chief pleasures
which earthly princes possess ; and all of
them are short and fading, since they begin
with life, and end in death ; unless it should
sometime happen, that their life was of
longer continuance than their kingdom.
But, moreover, these pleasures are not pure,
because power is joined with infirmity,
honour with ignominy, riches with poverty,
and joy with sorrow and affliction. The
power of a prince is such, that the people
should depend on the will of their prince ;
but power is infirm, because the prince de
pends on the strength and resources of his
22 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
people. What can a king do in capturing 1
or defending a city, if the people are either
unwilling or unable to assist him ? But a
prince depends not only on the resources of
his subjects, but also on walls, fortifications,
arms, engines of war, and "money/ which
is called the nerves of war. Wherefore the
people depend on the pleasure of their
prince, and serve him alone ; the prince, on
the contrary, depends on many men and
many things, all of which he is obliged to
employ. In fine, a king can imprison,
banish, or put to death his subjects; but a
king also (I speak de facto, not de jure) can
be imprisoned, banished, &c. f Julius Csesar,
Caius, Nero, Galba, Yitellius, Domitian,
Commodus, Heliogabalus, &c., afford ex
amples of this truth. And not only these
who were so wicked, but also those of much
milder dispositions, such as Alexander
Mammssas, Grordianus the younger, Perti-
nax, Tacitus, Numerianus, Probus, Gra-
tian, Valentinian the second, not to mention
St. Edward the Confessor, St. Wenceslaus,
king of Bohemia, St. Sigismund, king of
Burgundy, St. Canute, king of Denmark,
&c. Let us now speak of their honours.
Whilst kings are present before others, they
are certainly honoured and respected ; but
when absent, they are often ridiculed and
spoken against : even when present, many
praise them with their lips, whilst they de
spise them with their heart, so that, if the
number of those that praise them and those
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 23
that revile them could be counted, the lat
ter would be founi more numerous than the
former. Truly, therefore, the ignominy of
kings is often greater than their glory, since
few are those who honour their dignity
when present, but many accuse them when
absent of avarice, and others of cruelty,
others of luxury, &c.
^But perhaps the riches of kings are pure,
without any admixture of poverty. No,^ for
none are so poor as kings ; they have im
mense incomes and great treasures, but
their debts and expenses are much greater.
He that possesseth little is not so poor as
one who desireth many things, because he
stands in need of them. And is it not a
great proof of poverty when kings beg a
mite, as it were, from the poor themselves,
by exacting as taxes what is necessary for
their support? I do not speak thus as if I
wished to blame the exaction of tributes, for
I know it is just they should be paid to
kings, according to what St. Paul says in his
Epistle to the Romans : " Wherefore be
subject not only for wrath, but also for
conscience 7 sake. For therefore, also,
you pay tribute. For they are the minis
ters of God, serving unto this purpose.
Render therefore to all men their dues.
Tribute to whom tribute is due, ^ custom
to whom custom/ <fcc. (chap, xiii.) But
I merely wished to show the miserable con
dition of kings, who, although they abound
in riches, are yet compelled to collect a part
24 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
of them from the poor and destitute. But
what shall we say of their pleasures ? Kings
have certainly gardens, orchards, sumptuous
banquets, hunting, &c., and whatever else
can amuse them; but they also have the
gout, head-aches, complaints in the liver ;
and what is more distressing, the most pain
ful cares of the mind, which deprive them
whole nights of sleep, together with suspi
cions, fears, and anguish. If the doors of
their chambers creak at night, they suspect
treachery ; if an armed multitude have been
seen, a desertion is apprehended. Thus,
joy is mixed with sorrow, and rest interrupt
ed by care ; this is the reason why many
have resigned their crown, that they might
lead a private life. But let us hear how
St. John Chrysostom, in one of his Homi
lies""" to the people of Antioch, speaks of the
kings of his time : " Look not at the dia
dem, but at the multitude of cares look
not at the purple, but at the soul, blacker
than the purple itself. The crown does not
so much circle the head, as cares do the
soul. Neither consider the troops of atten
dants, but the multitude of troubles. For
no private house can be found so full of
cares as a palace : every day deaths are
expected, but in the night one cannot tell
how often the soul is terrified, and thinks it
is about to depart. And all this in time of
peace. But when a war breaks out, what
* Horn. 66.
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 25
can be more miserable than life ? How
many dangers befal friends and subjects!*
The royal pavement is always sprinkled
with the blood of relations. If yon wish me
to relate some facts, you will perhaps ac
knowledge them. I will tell you some that
happened in our own time. One king
having suspected his wife of adultery
already the mother of many kings, bound
her naked, and delivered her to the beasts
of the mountain. What a life do you sup
pose he must have led? He would not
surely have taken such a terrible revenge,
unless he had been consumed by some dis
ease. This same person murdered his own
son also, but being seized, he destroyed
himself. After this, another was taken
away by poison ; and his son, although he
had done no injury, was deprived of his sight
for fear of the future consequences. Ano
ther (but I cannot mention his name) ended
his life very miserably ; he was burned to
death with his chariots and horses, &c. No
one can express the sorrows he was obliged
to endure, when he came to the throne.
And the present king who now rules, when
he was crowned with the diadem, did he
not begin to be surrounded with toil, dan
ger, sorrow, and treachery ? But such is
not the state of the kingdom of heaven." *
How truly this great saint hath said, "Such
* Not haying the passage in Greek by me, I cannot say
whether this translation is correct.
26 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
is not the state of the kingdom of heaven/
we shall now see.
The kings of the kingdom of heaven,
who all live in happiness with God, possess
power without infirmity, honour without
ignominy, riches without poverty, pleasure
without pain; for of them the Psalmist
speaks : " There shall no evil come to thee :
nor shall the scourge come near thy dwell
ing/ (Psalm xc.) And in the Apocalypse:
" God shall wipe away all tears from their
eyes; and death shall be no more, nor
mourning, nor crying, nor sorrow shall be
any more, for the former things are passed
away." (ch. xxi. 4.) Wherefore exceeding
great is the power of these heavenly kings,
without the least admixture of infirmity.
One angel, without an army, without
swords and spears, instantly slew one hun
dred and eighty-five thousand Assyrians ;
neither was he afraid of being wounded by
any of the soldiers. St. Gregory relates
in his " Dialogues/ "" that a certain holy
man, when the executor with uplifted arm
was about to behead him, exclaimed, "St.
John, save me !" and immediately the
executioner could neither move nor stir
his hand in anyway. St. John therefore
heard the prayer of his client ; and with
such quickness was the executioner struck,
that the stroke, though just falling, was
prevented. Such then is the power of the
* Lib. iii. cap. 36.
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 27
kings of heaven, that neither the distance
of place, nor the situation in which this just
but defenceless man was placed, nor the
multitude of armed enemies, could prevent
St. John from delivering him from instant
death. Numerous examples of the like
nature could be mentioned.
The honour these heavenly kings possess
is so great, that not only good men, but the
wicked also, and even devils, are forced to
respect them. Many there are who despised
and spurned these holy men whilst they were
upon earth ; but afterwards they honoured
and venerated them when translated to
heaven, especially if the Church by a public
decree numbered them among the saints :
and even the demons themselves, who were
wont to harass the saints with temptations
when living in the flesh; and even, by the
permission of God, to beat them with many
stripes, now fear their relics and images
since they reign with God. What shall I
say of the riches these kings enjoy? "Their
great treasure is, to want nothing, because
God is all in all/ He is not rich who pos-
sesseth many things ; but he who desireth
nothing, because he standeth in need of
nothing : the soul ought to be rich, but not
the coffers ; heaven and earth and all things
therein, contribute to the riches of the
saints, for what do not they possess who are
"heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ?"
and whom the Father hath appointed " heirs
of all thinffs ?"
28
.There now remain but the pleasures
which the blessed enjoy in heaven : these
are pure and sweet, without any ingredient
of sorrow or affliction : we have already
heard from the Apocalypse, that God will
wipe away all tears from their eyes, and
that sorrow and mourning will be no more.
But on this point we shall dwell more at
length, when we speak of Paradise. We
have now seen, that the good things which
the blessed and all the saints will enjoy in
heaven together, are such, that they can in
no way be compared with the pleasures of
earth ; especially since the latter are tem
porary, the former eternal.
CHAPTER VI.
WHAT IMPORTANCE MEN ATTACH TO EARTHLY KINGDOMS,
AND WHAT IMPORTANCE OUGHT TO BE ATTACHED TO
THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.
LET us now consider with what eager
ness men seek after earthly kingdoms;
though insignificant, frail, and full of care
and trouble, that hereby we may be con
vinced with what ardour our heavenly
Kingdom ought to be desired and sought
after. The passion for dominion, without
doubt far exceeds all other passions ; for a
kingdom is not one individual "good/ but
a collection of all those pleasures which are
so much prized by men. These are, power,
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 29
honour, riches, and delights, as we have
already seen ; there is the liberty of living
just as we please, which is naturally pleas
ing not only to man, but also to beasts ;
there is excellence, and a kind of divinity
as it were, on account of which kings have
no equals in their government, but are supe
rior to all, above all, and are reverenced by
all. Hence it is, that when kings wish to
make a promise, they can find nothing
greater than half of their kingdom. Thus
Assuerus addressed Esther: "What wilt
thou, Esther? What is thy request? If
thou should even ask one half of the king
dom, it shall be given thee." (Esther v. 3.)
And Herod said to Herodias: "Whatso
ever thou shalt ask I will give it thee,
though it be the half of my kingdom. "
Hence it is, that to possess or extend king
doms, men consider it lawful to throw aside
every right; nor is there any thing so
sacred which they will not violate for the
sake of reigning. The very first individual
who unjustly waged war against his friends
and neighbours, was Ninus: he broke
through every law, just and unjust, that he
might enlarge his kingdom, as St. Augus
tine* testifies. Julius Caesar was the first
to oppress his country, which he did for the
sake of being emperor. Maximinus the
Thracian slew Alexander by his soldiers,
that he might succeed to the empire,
* De Civitate Dei, Lib. iv. cap. 6.
30 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
although he had received from him many
and great benefits. Philip the Arabian
did the same also to Gordian the emperor.
But the lust of reigning arms man, not
only against neighbours and benefactors,
but also against brothers, nephews, and
even fathers. Thus Romulus killed his
brother Remus, and Caracalla his brother
Geta. Athalia slew all the children of
Ochozias her son, who was king,^ that so
she might obtain the crown. Thus the
desires of sovereignty impels not only men,
but also females to commit the most shock
ing crimes. Sinochus, a Persian, contrived
to murder his father and brother, in order
that he alone might reign. But why do I
mention these instances? the mother of
Nero, when the astrologer told her that
her son would be emperor, but that
she would be destroyed by him, is re
ported to have exclaimed, " Let him
destroy me, provided he may reign !"
Wherefore, this ambitious woman consi
dered the kingdom to be of such impor
tance to her son, that she preferred it to her
own life. But this thirst for ruling not
only makes injustice, to be justice, and
arms man against a Brother, nephew, and
parent, but it also violates the sacred obli
gation of an oath, (which has always been
considered most obligatory by every nation,
even by the most cruel enemies,) when a
throne is in view. If we are to give credit
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 31
to Cicero," x " we are told that Julius Csesar
was always accustomed to repeat these
words of Euripides : " If an oath is to be
violated, it may be violated for the sake of
reigning : in other matters, cultivate piety."
I omit innumerable other examples which
demonstrate to all ages, that nothing what
ever is prized more by men than a king
dom. ; and yet, not only do kings reign but
for a short period, but also every kingdom
will quickly be utterly destroyed ; whilst
the kingdom of the blessed shall alone
remain for ever. Hear the prophet Daniel :
" But in the days of those kingdoms, the
God of heaven will set up a kingdom that
shall never be destroyed, and his kingdom
shall not be delivered up to another people;
and it shall break in pieces, and shall con
sume all these kingdoms, and itself shall
stand for ever." (ch. ii. 44.) This prophecy
will be fulfilled at the end of the world ; for
then not only all great monarchies, but also
small states, cities, and all the temporal
power of princes will vanish away ; but the
kingdom of Christ and his saints will be
eternal, according to the words of St.
Luke : " And of His kingdom there is no
end,"
Now if an earthly kingdom, which passeth
quickly away, and which is obtained but by
few, and full of many sorrows, be so
ardently loved, sought after, preferred be-
* De Officiis, Lib. iii.
32 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
fore every thing else, and acquired only by
great dangers and bloodshed : why do so
few love their heavenly kingdom, and so
negligently seek after it ? And yet, if the
Holy Scriptures are to be believed, we are
certain that this kingdom is open to all
men, can be possessed without the effusion
of blood, and is without any comparison
superior to all earthly kingdoms. If I
should say, Despise this kingdom that you
may obtain a small farm or a vineyard, you
would justly be astonished and laugh at
me : but when I say, or rather when God
says, Despise this vile and contemptible
kingdom, and seek that which is noble and
great, (which you may obtain, if you wish,
by the grace of God which is never want
ing,) why do you not desire it, and hasten
to obtain it ? I do not know what answer
to make, except that the glory of this
earthly kingdom is always before our eyes,
and is touched, as it were, with our hands ;
whilst our heavenly kingdom can neither
be seen, nor touched, nor even conceived by
faith. This, indeed, is true ; but if we
attentively consider what force the authen
ticity, truth, and inspiration of Scripture
carry with them, <uid how forcibly and
clearly this same Scripture speaks on this
point, which is confirmed by the powerful
testimony of many ages, not only by mira
cles but also by blood, we shall certainly
exclaim : Thy testimonies, Lord, are
become exceedingly credible." (Ps. xcii.)
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 33
The obscurity of our faith, therefore, is
not the reason why we are not inflamed
with a desire for this heavenly kingdom.
But being occupied by exterior things, and
weighed down by the force of custom, we
have no time to think and consider what is
expedient for us. We do not follow the
advice of our Lord, by entering into our
chamber/ and shutting the door of our
heart ; we do not earnestly beseech God to
direct us in so important an affair. But if,
throwing aside for a time all minor cares,
we were seriously to think on the kingdom
of heaven ; how easily and securely it can
be acquired. And what an ^immense dif
ference there is between things temporal
and things eternal between that which is
most insignificant and that which is most
excellent between what is of very little
importance and what is of the utmost
importance; in fine, between an earthly
kingdom and a heavenly kingdom. Did
we, I repeat, consider these truths, doubt
less we should have such a contempt for all
earthly thrones, crowns, and sceptres ; and,
on the other hand, such an ardour for the
heavenly things would rise in us, that, so
far from being difficult, it would be a most
easy task for us to employ all our strength
in seeking and acquiring the kingdom of
God, for which, as our true and last end,
we were made by our wise Creator.*
* Father Caraffa was accustomed to say, that if men
thoroughly knew the truths of eternity, and compared the
34 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
CHAPTER VII.
THE FIRST MEANS OF ATTAINING TO THE KINGDOM
OF GOD.
LET us now consider what is necessary to
be done, in order that we may possess this
most blessed and happy kingdom. But we
need not say much on this point, since the
King of heaven himself came upon earth to
teach us ; and thus, as our Master and
Leader, he has pointed out to us four most
excellent and secure means. The first is :
" Seek first the kingdom of God and his
justice, and all these things shall be added
unto you/ Our end is the kingdom of
God, which kingdom will be given to us if
we arrive there by the way pointed out to us
by our Leader. Now, the " justice" of this
kingdom is the mark at which we ought to
aim, if we wish to gain the reward. For
Cassian, in his first " Colloquy," teaches
the end is one thing and thejmark another;
the mark is the sign to which the arrows
are directed, the end is the reward which
those receive who reach that mark. Now,
the mark proposed by God for our actions
is "justice," and the reward the kingdom
of heaven. But the justice of God is not
goods and evils of this life with those of the next, the world
would become a desert, because there would be no one that
would attend to the affairs of this life. (See the "Spirit" of
St. Liguori.)
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS 35
the justice of the Scribes and the Pharisees,
which consisted merely in the external ob
servance of the law ; nor is it the justice of
the philosophers, which, corrupted by sin,
did not extend beyond the light of reason.
But it is the justice of the Gospel which
teaches us, "to love God with our whole
heart, with our whole soul, with our whole
strength, and our neighbour (though our
enemy) as ourselves." Of this end St.
Paul speaks : " You have your fruit ^ unto
sanctification, and the end life everlasting."
(Romans, chap. vi. 22.) This is the lesson,
therefore, which our Master teaches us,
" First of all to seek the kingdom of God
and His justice:" ^ that is, our chief con
cern and only desire should be directed,
not towards temporal goods, but to obtain
the kingdom of heaven, by a perfect and
most diligent observance of this first and
greatest commandment. But because few
do this, therefore " many are called, but
few are chosen ;" for many live in such a
manner that the kingdom of heaven is but
a secondary consideration with them, and
the justice of God an indifferent object, as
if our Lord had said, " Seek first the king
dom of this ivorld and its pleasures, and
the kingdom of God shall be added unto
you." But not so insignificant is the king
dom of God, that it should be forced or
those who prefer everything else to its pos
session. But if we wish to learn an eas;y
way to obtain the justice of God, whict
36 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OB THE
most truly and certainly leads to this king
dom, let us hear Christ, our Teacher:
" Blessed are they that hunger and thirst
after justice, for they shall have their nil.
Is it then, O Lord, so easy to find justice
with thee, that it is sufficient only to hun
ger and thirst" after it? Truly blessed
would all the poor be, if, merely by being
hungry and thirsty after money, they could
be so filled with it as to desire nothing
more. But one is quite different from the
other. For they who hunger sad. thirst
after justice that is, they who seek justice
as anxiously and as eagerly as those who
suffer from thirst and desire water, or from
hunger and desire food these always think
of jfistice, they aspire after it and what is
far better, they ask it of God with many
and unceasing tears. Such petitions Uod
always listens to with joy ; and He so falls
them with the riches of His justice, that,
being satiated thereby, they produce the
words and the works of justice. But money
is not such a good that he who desires it, or
asks it of God, is immediately heard ; for
many abuse their riches, but justice no one
can abuse. In fine, justice is like wisdom,
of which St. James speaks: " If any of you
want wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth
to all men abundantly, and upbraideth not:
and it shall be given him. unspeak
able clemency of our Lord, who more easily
and willingly grants what is necessary tor
us, than we ask or desire it from Him ! It,
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 37
therefore, we stand in need of ^ the wisdom
of the saints, or of the gifts of justice, both
of which are necessary for us to obtain the
kingdom of heaven, let us ask them of God
from our heart, seriously, with sighs and
tears, and we shall surely obtain them.
God giveth to all that ask in this manner ;
nor doth He repel any one, or give^ cove
tously or moderately, but bountifully :
neither doth He rebuke us, as if He were
angry that we besought Him so often.
What can we say, then ? Who can bring
excuse for his ignorance or infirmity in the
day of judgment ? Seek only after justice,
and ask it of God, and thou shalt be so filled
that no more wilt thou desire the delights
of the flesh, nor the allurements of honours,
or of any other earthly good ; but thou wilt
live in this world so justly, soberly, and
piously, as to arrive in the next at an eter
nal kingdom.
CHAPTER VII.
THE SECOND MEANS OP ATTAINING TUB KINGDOM
OF GOD.
ANOTHER road, which our Leader has
pointed out to us is this : "Blessed are the
poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven." Here we are not commanded
to keep our coffers entirely empty, but our
38 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
heart and affections free from the desire of
external things. Our Lord offers to us
immense treasures, but He will not give
them, unless we offer Him our heart com
pletely disengaged from creatures. " The
desire of money is the root of all evils/
(1 Tim. vi. 10.) In Greek it is called
0*Xa/>cyv/tua that is, the love of money. But
the root of all good is charity, and these
two can never remain together. Where
fore, unless we truly and perfectly become
" poor in spirit," so that we are neither
affected by riches nor by poverty, and unless
we readily give something to the poor, and
do not convert it to our own use, except
through necessity, we cannot obtain the
justice of the kingdom of God, and, conse
quently, we cannot enter heaven. This is
the true^ way that leadeth to life eternal ;
upon this road our Saviour Himself was
the first to enter, "Who being rich, became
poor for your sakes, that through His po
verty you might be rich." (2 Epist. to Cor.
chap. viii. 9.) And although He kept a
purse, yet He entrusted it to Judas, who
He knew to be a thief, that so we might
comprehend how free His soul was from the
love of money. "Upon this path the Apos
tles also entered, though it would not^have
been difficult for them to have enriched
themselves, since they were renowned for
signs and wonders, and spoke the languages
of many nations, and were admired by tlv3
whole world for their wisdom. But they
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 39
who had once spoke the words, Behold we
have left all things, and have followed
thee ;" who had tasted how sweet it was to
be free from the love of money, having food
and wherewith to be covered, they consi
dered virtue and the justice of God to be
their great gain. On this road also walked,
not only monks and hermits, but even kings
and pontiffs who have thus arrived at the
kingdom of heaven. St. Lewis, King of
France, was certainly rich ; but because he
was at the same time poor in spirit, he
used common garments, fasted frequently,
was liberal to the poor, and severe to him
self alone : he did not spend his money in
banquets and pageants. St. Gregory also,
who was a Pope, possessed many and large
estates belonging to the Church ; but Be
cause he likewise was "poor in spirit/
he was so liberal with his alms, though
parsimonious in his own regard, that he
seemed to exceed the bounds of liberality
towards others, and of neglect ^ towards
himself and his friends. But this is the
way that leadeth to life.
St. Paula, a Roman lady, whose life is
written by St. Jerome,"" was amongst
* See his epistle to Eustocliium, the daughter of Paiila.
It is perhaps one of the most interesting and instructive
amongst his letters. He thus commences: " Si cuncta cor-
poris mei membra verterentur in linguas, et omnes artus
Eumand voce resonarent, nihil dignum JSanctae ac venerabilis
Paulae virtutibus dicerem." His account of her leaving
Toxotius and Ruffina her children, and how they endea
voured to stay her departure, is most affecting. The
description of her death and burial in Jerusalem, is also
40 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
women as poor in spirit, as she was rich
in wealth. Though of most noble descent,
she spent her money in erecting monaste
ries, and supporting the poor with such libe
rality, that it seemed to be her desire to be
reduced to such poverty, as to compel others
of their charity, to defray her funeral
expenses. And how much she mortified
her own body, we may be convinced by the
fact, that she abstained from flesh, eggs,
and wine ; for a linen garment, she wore
sackcloth; she slept on the bare ground,
and with frequent prayers and tears, endea
voured to wash away even her trifling faults.
St. Hedwiges* also, Queen of Poland,
though rich in worldly goods, was richer by
her poverty of spirit, being content with only
one mean garment, which she wore even in
the depth of winter ; she fasted daily, Sun
days and great festivals being excepted;
and with stripes,, watchings, and all kinds
of mortifications, she thus subdued her
body. From these circumstances we may
learn to what purposes she applied her
riches, and what little affection, if any at
all, she had towards them. It is not then
truly edifying. He ends in these words: "Vale, O Paula,
et cultoris tui ultimam senectutem orationibus juva. Fides
et opera tua Christo te sociant: prteseiis facilius quod pos-
tulas, impetrabis. Exegi monumentum tuura a^re peren-
nius, quod nulla destruere possit yetustas. Incidi elogium
Sepulchro tuo, quod huic Volumini subdidi; tit quacunque
npster sermo pervenit; Te laudataui, Te in Bethelem con-
ditam Lector agnoscat."
* See her life in Surius.
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 41
wonderful, that this woman arrived ^ so
quickly at the kingdom of heaven, being
so poor in spirit, and so free from all other
cares.
CHAPTER IX.
THE THIRD MEANS OF ATTAINING THE KINGDOM
OF GOD.
THE third way pointed out by our Leader
is this : " Blessed are they that suffer per
secution for justice sake ; for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven/ (St. Matthew, ch. v.
10.) Truly admirable is the doctrine of
Christ our teacher, which however is hiadon
from the "wise" of this world. For who
would have believed, unless God had said
it, that it is a blessed thing to be poor, but
rich in afflictions ? ^ And yet truly hath He
spoken. Nothing is more calculated to ac
quire the true riches which merit the king
dom of heaven, than a mind free from all
affection to money, and at the same time
full of a desire to suffer for Christ. Hear
our Lord in St. Luke : " Woe to you that
are filled ; woe to you that are rich, for you
have your consolation; woe to you that
laugh? (chap, vi.) And again in the same
place : " Blessed are ye that hunger now, for
ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep
now, for ye shall laugh. Blessed shall ye
42 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
be when men shall hate you, and when
they shall separate you, and shall reproach
you, and cast out your name as evil, for the
Son of man s sake. Be glad in that day
and rejoice ; for behold, your reward is
great in heaven/ (verses 21, 22, &c.) Hear
what St. James says of riches and tribu
lations: "My brethren, count it all joy
when you shall fall into divers temptations;
knowing that the trying of your faith
worketh patience ; and patience hath a per
fect work." (chap, i.) Here he does not
say: Bear, endure, be patient; but, Rejoice,
yea, "count it all your joy:" that is, receive
your tribulation, not as an affliction, but as
matter for great joy. On the other hand,
he thus speaks of riches : " Go to, now, ye
rich men, weep and howl in your miseries
which shall come upon you:" and in the
preceding chapter he adds : " Be afflicted,
and mourn, and weep : let your laughter be
turned into mourning, and your joy into
sorrow." (ch. iy. 9.)
But whence is it, that persecution makes
a man happy, which ought rather (one would
suppose) make him miserable? Much
could be said on this point : but I will make
only one remark, that persecution is like a
furnace of burning fire. And as fire pre
pares our food, clears silver of its dross, and
proves gold; so also does persecution, if
patiently endured, prepare sinners for re
ceiving grace ; it purges the imperfect, and
proves the just, and thus all are wonderfully
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 43
benefited. A sinner is "raw flesh" as it
were, which, unless it be properly cooked, is
cast away as not fit to be eaten by man.
For a sinner is full of bad humours of the
concupiscence of the flesh, which is Luxury:
of the concupiscence of the eyes, which is
Avarice : and of pride, which is Ambition.
But if he pass through the furnace of perse
cution, he is " cooked" in such a manner,
as to be fit to be presented at the table of
the Lord. When persecution or tribulation
comes, then^we forget our passions, our
avarice, ambition, &c. ; and we begin to be
entirely different men. But a just man,
though imperfect, and not subject to enor
mous crimes, may yet be indulgent to his
flesh, a lover of pleasure, a lover of gain,
and of the vanities of the world. He is
therefore like to silver full of much dross.
But if the furnace of persecution should
overtake him, and he bear it with patience,
then the dross will gradually be separated
from the silver ; he will begin to be recol
lected, to meditate on heavenly things, to
abstain from carnal desires ; in fine, to live
justly, soberly, and piously in this world,
and to expect that blessed hope, and the
coming of the glory of the great God.
I^astly, a man perfect in charity is gold ;
but he has to be proved by the fire of per
secution, lest others (and he himself) should
suspect, that he was debased gold, not pure
gold ; for when it is seen that he patiently
endures the fire of persecution, not only is
44 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
lie acknowledged by others to be what he
appears to be, but he himself also acquires
a greater hope, and a more secure expecta
tion of the kingdom of heaven. " Tribula
tion," saith the Apostle, "worketh patience;
and patience trial; and trial hope; and
hope confoundeth not." (Epistle to the
Romans, chap. v. 3, &c.) Thus God
daily more and more^ exalts his friend that
is proved by tribulation, till at length He
brings him to a share of his kingdom^ and
happiness. Behold what is the fruit of
patience in affliction ! But it is strange to
see how few make use of these advantages,
although they are open to all. Affliction
is everywhere to be found, everywhere to
be met with at home, on a journey, in the
forum, in the temple, for in all places the
wicked oppress the good. Wherefore, most
true are the words of the Apostle: "All
that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall
suffer persecution." But we, delicate sol
diers, either fly from this proving furnace,
or when we have received an injury we
throw it back on our adversary : so that we
not only refuse to suffer persecution, but
we even cause it. And those are to be
found a man s enemies of his own house
hold that applaud him who retaliates an
injury, (as it is called,) and yet such people
who despise the precepts of Christ, wish to
be called Christians !
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 45
CHAPTER X.
THE FOURTH MEANS OF ATTAINING THE KINGDOM!
OF GOD.
BUT because this doctrine is very diffi
cult, and very few understand it, and much
less wish to experience it, therefore our
Leader hath pointed out the fourth "way,"
and this very narrow. He says : " The
kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and
the violent alone bear it away/ (St. Mat
thew, chap. xi. 12.) As if He had said:
I^arn aware that it will appear a paradox
to men, that those should be happy who
are poor, and those miserable who are rich ;
on the contrary, that we should rejoice in
afflictions, and weep in prosperity ; neither
was I ignorant, that few are they who
would wish to lose present goods, in order
to acquire future ones ; and to choose pre
sent evils, that so they might avoid those
to come. But I who am Truth, must speak
the truth; therefore I now add, that the
kingdom of heaven can be taken only by
the violent ; therefore have I said in
another place : " How hardly shall they
that have riches enter into the kingdom of
heaven. For it is easier for a camel to pass
through the eye of a needle, than for a rich
man to enter into the kingdom of heaven."
And again : " How narrow is the gate, and
46 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
straight is the way that leadeth to life, and
few there are that find it !" And in another
place I have said, that the kingdom of
heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in a
field; and to a precious " pearl which
cannot be purchased unless we sell every
thing; hence it is necessary for us to be
deprived of every thing on earth, if we wish
to possess in heaven this heavenly treasure
and precious pearl. In St. Luke I have
likewise plainly assured you : " Every one
of you that doth not renounce all that he pos-
sesseth, cannot be my disciple/ (chap. xiv.
ver. 33.) And although this "renuncia
tion" is to be understood as relating to the
affection of the mind ; yet since a real dis
position to part with all temporal goods,
should the honour of God or our own salva
tion require it, is no easy matter, and which
few accomplish, I have therefore added
other similitudes concerning him who
wished to build a tower, and had not
wherewith to finish it ; and of a king who
was about to wage war against another
king, and had not sufficient forces to engage
with him, with any hope of victory. Now
if the erection of a tower, without a great
sum of money, and a war against a power
ful king, without a great army, be difficult
and almost impossible things, how much
more difficult will it be to accomplish both
of these ^at the same time ? But we must
accomplish both, if we wish to gain heaven;
for a tower is to be built which must reach
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 47
to heaven ; that is, good works are to be
performed which will merit eternal life : and
at the same time, we have to fight against
numerous and powerful enemies, viz. im
pure spirits, who with all their might endea
vour to hinder the building of the tower.
We have a figure of this conflict ^ in the
children of Israel, who, when they wished to
rebuild Jerusalem that had been destroyed
by the Chaldeans, were obliged with incre
dible toil and anxiety, to build with one
hand and to fight with the other, on account
of the neighbouring nations that attacked
them."" From these considerations it is
manifest, that the kingdom of heaven can
not be obtained without great toil and
labour, by those who are wedded to earthly
objects, who do not tame the concupiscence
of the flesh, nor have learned to fight with
their invisible enemies. But he who wishes
seriously to apply, by the grace of God, to
Christian perfection ; to consider, not care
lessly, but most attentively, the words of
Christ ; and to follow His example and that
of the saints, gradually the way will be
opened before him ; his strength will
increase ; his enemies diminish ; and by
the charity of God in Christ Jesus, his yoke
will begin to appear sweet and his burden
light ; and then will be accomplished the
* " Of them that built on the wall and that carried bur
dens, and that laded; with one of his hands he did the work,
and with the other he held a sword." (2 Esdras, chap.
iv. 17.)
48 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
words of Isaias : " They that hope in the
Lord shall renew their strength, they shall
take wings as eagles, they shall run^ and
not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. *
(chap. xl. ver. 31.) And they will exclaim
with the royal Prophet : " I have run the
way of thy commandments, when thou
didst enlarge my heart." It was not truly
a difficult thing for St. Antony to spend so
many sleepless nights ; nay, even the night
appeared too short through the sweetness
he enjoyed from the divine contemplation,
for he complained of the sun, paying:
<f Why dost thou hinder me by rising at
this timo, and withdrawing me from the
brightness of my true Light?" Neither
was it difficult for him (as well as many
others like him) to prolong their fasting
through a whole week, since they were
refreshed with the heavenly bread of divine
contemplation. Neither was ^ it painful for
St. Austin, to be deprived of those carnal
pleasures to which he had been addicted
from his youth, when once he began to
taste the sweetness of divine love, and the
delight of inward contemplation. Where
fore no one, whoever he may be, ought to
despond ; but rather to hope in the power
of the Most High, who, as He hath made
us for Himself, will also draw us to Him
self and place us in His kingdom, by the
* Cassian, (Colloquy Sth, chap. 31.)
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 49
merits of His Son, by whose precious blood
we have been redeemed.
Wherefore, Christian soul, thou shouldst
not despond on account of the difficulty of
the way, but hope in the Lord, who would
not have invited thee to seek His kingdom
in the first place, unless He had been pre
pared to aid thee by His most powerful
assistance. Courageously therefore com
mence the journey. There is no occasion
here for deliberation. If the labour be
great, great also is the reward ; and if the
numerous forces of the enemy hinder thee,
greater is the power of God who assists
thee. And if many of every age and sex
have been enabled to arrive at the kingdom
by this way, why mayest not thou also
obtain the same ? They were not made of
stone or iron, but of flesh ; they were mor
tal and frail, and therefore they could do
nothing of themselves, but only by the Lord
their God. Canst not thou therefore,
though weak and infirm, do the same by
the Lord thy God? (t Cast thyself upon
Him," says St. Austin, " fear not ; He will
not withdraw Himself, that thou shouldst
fall : securely cast thyself upon Him ; He
will receive thee, and will help thee."*
God is faithful, He cannot deceive. Two
things only are required of thee ; one, that
thou most firmly resolve to prefer the glory
of God and thy eternal salvation before all
4
* Lib. 8. Confess, cap. 11.
50 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
things else ; the other, that thou confide
not in thy own strength, or in thy own wis
dom, but in the power of God and His
infinite love. If thou wilt comply with these
two conditions, " the crooked shall become
straight, and the rough ways plain" to thee;
and thou wilt serve the Lord with joy and
exultation, and " wilt sing in the ways of
the Lord; for great is the glory of the
Lori"
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS 51
THE
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS,
BOOK II.
CHAPTER I.
ON THE BEAUTY OF THE CITY OF GOD.
" GLORIOUS things are said of thee, O
city of God:" wherefore I have desired to
behold thy glory, meditating upon it through
a glass in an obscure manner. But our
first consideration is, why the happiness of
the saints, which in the Holy Scripture is
called the kingdom of heaven, is also called
the " City of God." This appears to me
to be the reason ; because as it is called
a kingdom on account of its extent, so also
it ought to be called a " City," on account
of its beauty. One might suppose, when
he heard of a vast and extensive kingdom,
that there are in it many deserts, many
wild uncultivated places, and mountains
fit only for the habitation of beasts, besides
inaccessible rocks, forests, and precipices,
&c. But since all these are far removed
from the happiness of the saints, the Holy
52 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
Spirit therefore teaches us, that the king
dom of heaven is like to a most "beautiful
city ; and although it is of a boundless
extent, yet the whole is so glorious as to
appear a most populous and opulent
city. In large cities especially are to be
seen beautiful temples, splendid palaces,
most delightful gardens, noble forums,
fountains, columns, pyramids, obelisks,
theatres, towers, and other buildings for
the use of the public. How beautiful would
Italy be, if the barren Apennines were re
moved, and all the country shone like Rome
did (not as it appears now) under Augustus
Csesar ! From being of brick, he made it
of marble. And how beautiful would Syria
have been formerly, if all parts had been
like Jerusalem such as it was before its
destruction by the Romans ! Josephus
gives such a description of it, that its mag
nificence must have been the admiration of
the whole world f f of it the Prophet justly
sings, " Glorious things are said of thee, O
city of God;" and yet it had not then
arrived at that eminence to which Herod
the Great carried it, after the reigns of
David and Solomon. How beautiful also
would Chaldsea, and all Assyria and Meso
potamia, and the whole East have been,
had these been enclosed within the walls of
Babylon ! Pliny and Strabo give such
descriptions of its magnitude and beauty,
* Vide Lib. vi. de Bello Judaico, cap. 6.
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 53
that they seem incredible : hence Babylon
was considered one of the seven w mders^ol
the world. Now, what must that city
above be the heavenly Jerusalem, which
embraceth the whole kingdom of heaven?
This kingdom so far excels all other king
doms in glory, majesty, and extent, that
the whole appears but one city, most beau
tiful, most noble. Truly, then, this heavenly
city is such, that no one can seriously think
of it without frequently aspiring after it;
and no one can desire it without imme
diately leaving all things to possess it,
and never resting till he find it. Hear how
Tobias, exulting in spirit, speaks of this
city : " Thou shalt shine with a glorious
light, and all the ends of the earth shall
worship thee The gates of Jerusalem
shall be built of sapphire and of emerald,
and all the walls thereof round about of
precious stones. And all its streets shall
be paved with white and clean stones ; and
Alleluia shall be s ung in its streets." (chap,
xiii. 21, 22.) And St. John also, in his
Apocalypse, agrees with Tobias : The
building of the wall thereof was of jasper-
stone ; but the city itself pure gold, like to
clear glass. And the foundations of the
walls of the city were adorned with all
manner of precious stones and every
several gate was of one several pearl ; and
the street of the city was pure gold, as it
were transparent glass." (chap, xxi.) But
we must not suppose the heavenly Jerusa-
54 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
lem to be in reality adorned with gold and
precious stones, but by this mode of ex
pression we are to understand, that the
heavenly city is as much superior to earth
as gold is to dirt, as pearls to common
stone, the stars to candles, the sun to a
torch, and mortal architects to God, the
immortal Creator of all things. But as we
intend to speak of the beauty of all the
parts of the city of God, we shall dwell no
longer on this point.
CHAPTER II
ON THE CONCORD AND PEACE OF THE CITY OF GOD.
ANOTHER reason why the kingdom of
heaven is called the "city of God," appears
to be this, because a kingdom usually
contains an almost infinite number of peo
ple, differing one from another in their
language, manners, and laws ; where many
have never seen each other, and much less
formed any acquaintance. But a city in
cludes those only who are of the same lan
guage, the same customs, and who are
governed by the same laws. Wherefore,
heaven is called both "a kingdom and a
city/ because, although the inhabitants of
this heavenly kingdom are almost innume
rable, and as St. John tells us, are collected
from " all nations, and tribes, and peoples,
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 55
and tongues," and also divided into angels,
archangels, principalities, powers, domina
tions, thrones, cherubim, and seraphim,
who are much more numerous than men,
and are distinguished, not by nations, and
peoples, and tongues, but by a specific
diversity of nature ; yet all these are true
citizens, living in concord and unanimity,
and governed by one only law of charity.
Wherefore, all have but one heart and one
soul. And because charity is contrary to
hatred, envy, contention, discord, strife,
and other vices, therefore anger, conten
tion, envy, &c., are far removed from this
holy city of Jerusalem :^ charity alone
reigneth, and with it justice, peace, and
"joy in the Holy Ghost/ In the begin
ning of creation there was a great battle in
heaven between Michael, the archangel,
and the dragon; but Michael, and the
angels who remained firm with him in faith
and obedience to their Lord, gained the
victory over the dragon and his angels, who
by their pride had fallen away from God.""
"And that great dragon was cast out, that
old serpent who is called the devil and
Satan, who seduce th the whole world ; and
he was cast unto the ^ earth, and his angels
were thrown down with him." (Apoc. chap.
This battle seems by
* See the Apocalypse, chap. xii
the mystery of our Redemption.
cation of St. Michael, Sept. 29.)
56 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
xii. 9.) From that time the holy city of
Jerusalem " hath placed peace in its bor
ders ;" nor has the sound of the war- trum
pet been heard therein, neither will it be
heard there for ever.
What then can be sweeter, what more
blessed than this city? They who know
the evils of war, its depredations, slaughter,
rapine, sacrileges, &c., can easily imagine
the sweetness of peace. But, leaving aside
war, who has not experienced in his own
city, and even in his own house, how dis
agreeable it is to have anything to do with
passionate men, who take the worst view of
all our actions ? " Depart from the unjust,
and evil shall depart from thee," saith
Ecclesiasticus. But where shall we go, and
not find the unjust ? and if they are every
where to be found, evils will certainly be
found also, as long as we remain in this
land of exile. Hear how the same Eccle
siasticus speaks of a wicked woman : "It
will be more agreeable to abide with a lion
and a dragon than to dwell with a wicked
woman. " (chap, xxv.) Now, if the partner
of one s life becomes a lion and a dragon
on account of her wickedness, to how many
afflictions are men exposed ! "All that will
live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer per
secution," says the apostle. (2 Timothy,
chap. iii. 12.) How unhappy, therefore, is
the city of this world, wherein we are
obliged to bear with so many enemies, and
to fight our way. If we wish to be devout,
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 57
we shall be persecuted by men ; and if, to
avoid their persecution, we become wicked,
we shall then incur the indignation of our
supreme and almighty King, who will
punish us, and, both alive and dead, will
take vengeance, for His anger no one can
resist. Oh, unfortunate and miserable
country, where no one can escape from war
or persecution, where no one can find true
peace ! Let us therefore, with our whole
heart, love and praise that heavenly city,
from which alone every affliction is banish
ed, and where no war, no hatred, no strife,
can ever gain admittance.
CHAPTER TIL
ON THE LIBERTY OF THE CITY OF GOD.
A THIRD reason why the kingdom of God
is called a "city," is because a kingdom is
in the form of a monarchy, and this seems
opposed to liberty. But all the citizens
of heaven are free, and Jerusalem, our
mother above, is also "free," according to
St. Paul in his Epistle to the Galatians.
This blessed Apostle knew what he was
speaking of, since he had been rapt up into
the third heaven, into paradise, and became
acquainted with the nature of the city.
Wherefore, as a kingdom implies servitude,
and a city liberty, that kingdom alone may
58 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
be called a city where they who obey the
king are free. But the blessed in heaven
possess not one simple liberty, but one that
is manifold. In the first place, all the in
habitants are free from the servitude of sin,
because the first liberty possessed in the
earthly paradise was to be able not to sin ;
but the second enjoyed in heaven is far
more excellent " not to be able to sin,"
as St. Austin teaches."*
Another liberty (like the former) is being
free from the servitude of death. Adam in
the earthly paradise was free, so that he
could have escaped death : the Sons ol
Adam in the heavenly paradise are free, so
that they cannot die. You must not be
surprised at our making liberty to consist
in not being able to do anything ; because
"^not ^being able to sin, and not able to
die," indicate the height of liberty from the
servitude of sin, and the servitude of mor
tality. For he who cannot sin, is not only
free from sin, but is also so far removed
from its servitude that he feels a sure secu
rity sin will never prevail within him ; and
he who cannot die is not only free from
death, but he is so far removed from it that
he feels confident death will never approach
him. This liberty God alone naturally
enjoys, for the Apostle says: " Who alone
hath immortality." And ^ although the
angels and souls endowed with reason are
* De Correptione et Gratia, cap. ii.
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 59
said to be naturally immortal, because they
have within them no principle of corrup
tion ; yet God, who made them, can also
destroy them. But, as we have already
remarked, the angels and blessed ^ spirits
are certain that they will never sin and
never die, and therefore they are completely
free from the servitude of sin and^of death ;
this is a most honourable participation in
the Divine liberty.
The third liberty consists in being free
from "necessity" in general. Now man is
obliged to eat, drink, sleep, and labour, at
one time to stand or walk, and at another
to lie down. But the saints in heaven are
not subject to any such necessity, but are
free from every necessity, which is the
liberty of the glory of the Sons of God, as
St. Paul expresses it in his Epistle to the
Romans. How great this liberty is, first
poor people, then spiritual men, and thirdly
the rich of this world bear witness. What
labour the poor endure that they may pro
vide food and clothing for themselves and
children! and how greatly would they
thank those who would free them from such
a state of servitude ! Many even rob and
plunder others, and suffer themselves to be
led into bad habits, to be enabled to sup
port themselves; for they say with the
unjust steward in the Gospel, " To dig I
am unable, to beg I am ashamed ; 1 know
what I will do." I will defraud my Mas
ter that is, by theft and injustice I will
60 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
free myself from His servitude. But by
this mode of acting we fall into a far more
grievous servitude, viz., the servitude of sin
and the devil, the most bitter enemy of the
human race. Holy men, who give them
selves up to heavenly contemplation, consi
der the servitude of attending to the body
to be a grievous burden, because it standeth
in need of many things, and steals a great
part of their time from other more impor
tant concerns. Eusebius, in his Ecclesias
tical History,"" relates from Philo that the
first Christians of Alexandria, living under
St. Mark the Evangelist, were so taken up
with their heavenly meditations as never to
taste any food until after sunset, that thus
they might give the whole day and a great
part of the night to such spiritual employ
ment : scarcely did they allow any portion
for the refreshment of the body. The
same historian tells us, that some forgot
their food for three days together, and others
continued their fast for six days. Cassian
in his Colloquies, and Theodoret in his
History, testify that many holy hermits
were accustomed to the same thing.
Wherefore, to all these the servitude of the
body was most grievous, and with the
Apostle they exclaimed: " Unhappy man
that I am, who shall deliver me from the
body of this death?" But to the inhabi
tants of this world, and especially to those
* Lib. 2 cap. 1G.
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 61
who are rich, this servitude does not appear
grievous, but were they wise they would
think differently. They are addicted to
excessive eating and drinking, and love to
sleep on soft couches, and when they ex
ceed the bounds of moderation, they fill
their bodies with diseases, and to get free
from them they are obliged to take bitter
medicine, and to endure many sharp pains.
Wherefore they are necessitated, whether
willing or unwilling, either to remain
enemies to God and to bear His terrible
wrath, or to fight against the concupiscence
of the flesh by temperance and sobriety.
This is doubtless a most laborious and dan
gerous war ; but thus both poor and rich,
the good and the wicked, would be free
from a most painful "necessity" and mise
rable servitude.
The fourth liberty consists in being free
from obedience to the law and the divine
precepts, for " the law is not made for the
just man, but for the unjust," as St. Paul
mentions in His Epistle to Timothy. None
are more just than the blessed, who are
confirmed in justice, and cannot therefore
become unjust.^ It is true, indeed, that to
the just living in this world, the law is not
a threatening one, because of their own.
accord they willingly obey it ; nevertheless,
it cannot be denied but that it is a law
which directs and binds them to do that
which is commanded, and to avoid that
which is forbidden. But the just, who
62 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
enjoy the liberty of the Sons of God, stand
in need of no law, because they behold all
justice in the divine "Word," and, being
confirmed in perfect charity, they cannot
but accomplish the will of God. Great,
then, is this liberty which frees them from
every solicitude, and which is so opposed
to captivity and the servitude of those un
happy beings, who, with their hands and
feet bound, are "cast into the exterior dark
ness/ and into the "furnace of fire," which
they can neither endure nor avoid. And
yet either one or the other of these abodes
will be the lot of every son of Adam. But,
alas ! many are so blinded by the smoke of
present honours, or by the dust of earthly
goods, that they see not these things,
neither do they consider them, " until sud
den destruction" come upon them: then
their torments open their eyes, which before
their sins had shut.
CHAPTER IV.
ON THE SITUATION AND FORM OF THE CITY OF GOD.
BUT let us now turn toward the Celestial
city, and attentively consider its situation,
form, foundation, gates, walls, and streets.
It is situated on the holy mountains : thus
\ve read in the Psalmist, tf The foundations
thereof are in the holy mountains ;" with
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. C3
this St. John agrees in the Apocalypse,
where he says : " And he took me up in
spirit to a great and high mountain : and
he showed me the holy city Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven from God."
(chap. xxi. 10.) The situation of a city on
a mountain is very convenient and useful,
both for the purity of the airland as a forti
fication. But what mountains are higher
than heaven ? and what mountain is exalt
ed above all mountains, except the heaven
of heavens, of which David speaks, " The
heaven of heavens is the Lord s 1" This is
that mountain for which the same Prophet
sighed when he said, " Who shall ascend
into the mountain of the Lord, or who shall
stand in His holy place?" ^And from this
he implored and expected assistance, saying,
" I have lifted up my eyes to the moun
tains, from whence help shall come to me."
Wherefore, the situation of the city of God
is so high as to shut out everything that
could in any way disturb its peace and har
mony. It is higher than dust, thorns, and
briars, or the poisonous bite of animals can
reach: it is so high that neither vapours
nor clouds, neither hail, nor thunder, ^ fire,
nor lightning can terrify it : in fine, it is so
high that those impure birds, which St.
Paul, in his Epistle to the Ephesians, calls
f The spirits of wickedness in the high
places," can never reach it.
The form of the City of God is square, for
thus St. John tells us: " And the city lieth
64 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
in a four square, and the length thereof is
as great as the breadth." This expression
signifies nothing more, than that admirable
and perfect justice which is to be found in
the city, where nothing unjust, nothing
contradictory, nothing deformed can gain
admittance. ^ Thus St. Austin explains the
Psalm, " Mirabile in eequitate," that is,
in justice. And truly wonderful will it be,
to behold the innumerable inhabitants of
this city, all endowed with perfect free-will;
and yet throughout all eternity nothing
wrong or imperfect will be found in any
one of them, either in thought, word, or
deed. Justly, therefore, does this city lie
in a square, so that the breadth should not,
in the least point, exceed the length, noi
the length the breadth. This figure of a
square may also signify, that the breadth of
its heavenly treasures is equal to their
length ; because as the abundance of goods
will be infinite, so also will their duration.
In the Scripture, breadth is applied to mul
tiplicity, length to the duration of a thing.
Thus, in the third Book of Kings, the
great wisdom of Solomon is said to be
" largeness of heart* as the sand that is
on the sea- shore:" and in the 90th Psalm,
duration of time is called " length of
days." There will, therefore, be in the
city of our God, as much breadth as length,
because there will be an immensity of good
* Latitude Cordis.
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 65
things, together with an eternal duration
of them. St. John also adds, that the
height of the city is as great as its breadth,
(so that it is square in every part) because
the goods of the heavenly Jerusalem will
not only be great and eternal, but also
most noble and sublime. It is of little
consequence, that Vitruvius and Yegetius
do not approve of a square for the situation
of a city : they speak of a city that feareth
an enemy. But the Scripture speaketh of
that holy city, which hath placed peace in
its borders, and to which no evil can come
on account of its height.
CHAPTER V.
ON THE FOUNDATIONS AND GATES OF THE CITY OF GOD.
THE foundation is of such a nature, that
the city alone may justly be called the foun
dation. Thus speaks St. Paul in his Epis
tle to the Hebrews, "For he looked for
a city that hath foundations ; whose builder
and maker is God/ (chap. xi. 10.) The
Apostle gives the reason, why Abraham
did not build a city in the land of promise,
but dwelt therein as a stranger : the reason
was, because he knew that the land of pro
mise was but a figure of a better land of
promise; and, therefore, he was unwilling
to build a house or city that would perish,
6
66 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
because he looked for a city that had a
strong foundation, "whose builder and
maker is God/ Wherefore, this heavenly
city alone truly and properly hath a founda
tion, since it was built by God to endure
for ever. The cities which Cain, Nimrod,
Ninus, Nabuchodonosor, Romulus, &c.,
founded, have often fallen, and at the last
day will entirely be e destroyed: this proves
that they had no solid foundation. Hence,
we may understand how much wiser were
the Patriarchs than we are, who, although
they lived more than double the number of
our years, and were obliged to wait so
many thousands of years before they could
enter the heavenly city; yet they built
neither cities nor houses, but dwelt in
tabernacles, as strangers and pilgrims, be
lieving with an assured hope that they were
destined to inhabit an Eternal city in
heaven, and that all things on earth would
quickly perish. But we, who live to such a
short period, and who can, if we wish, im
mediately after death, enter into that most
blessed city, so labour in erecting and
adorning buildings on earth, as if we were
either never to die, or else had no expecta
tions of entering Heaven. In this point,
we certainly imitate not the faithful Patri
archs, but unbelieving Infidels: and yet we
are Christians, and we know that Christ
and his Apostles built neither a city, nor a
tower, nor had even a house ; neither did
they wish for one. But still, I do not
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 67
blame the princes of this world, although
Christians, for building new cities : nor pri
vate individuals for erecting houses for
their own convenience. For we know that
David, a pious king, enlarged the city of
Jerusalem, and built in it a royal palace,
as we read in the Second Book of Kings.
We also know that St. Lewis, king of
France, erected in Palestine, at his^ own
expense, several cities for the Christians :
neither are we ignorant, that it is but just
Princes should possess more magnificent
habitations than private men, and patri
cians more than the common people. But
we only require moderation, and condemn
extravagance, especially when individuals
wish for the palaces of princes; and princes,
not content with their palaces, erect im
mense buildings that look like towns : in
fine, we blame a too great affection for
temporal goods, as if our chief happiness
consisted in them: but we praise a con
tempt for the world, joined with the humi
lity of Christ.
The gates of this city are said by St.
John to be made of precious stones, and
the walls of the jaspar- stone; but the whole
city itself of pure gold. All this signifies
that every part is precious, pure, and trans
parent; for we know that pearls are both
precious and white: the jaspar-stone is
sometimes found white, and other times
green. But St. John says : " And the light
thereof was like to a precious stone, as to
68 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
the jaspar- stone, even as crystal :" he adds,
"as crystal," to show that he is speak
ing, not of a green jaspar, or any other
colour, but of a white and clear one. Thus
also when he says, that the streets are of
pure gold, he adds, "like to clear glass;"
that is, transparent and white like crystal.
Wherefore, whether we consider the whole
city, or the gates, the walls, or the streets,
all is precious: nothing is mean, unbe
coming, fading ; but every thing is beauti
ful, every thing visible, because there
nothing can be found to be hidden or con
cealed : all behold all things : there no sus
picions nor stratagems are admitted. This
perhaps is the reason why St. John says in
the same place, " And the gates thereof
shall not be shut/ because no darkness,
no robbers, no enemies are there, on ac
count of which the gates should be closed
at night. This verse is not opposed to the
words of the Psalmist, where he praises the
heavenly Jerusalem: "Praise the Lord, O
Jerusalem, because he hath strengthened
the bolts of thy gates." (Psalm cxlvii.)
Both the Psalmist and the Evangelist
mean this only that in the heavenly Jeru
salem, no danger is to be apprehended from
enemies or robbers. By the gates being
always shut, the one signified, that the
divine protection would never permit any
enemy to enter the beloved city of God:
the other meant, by the gates being always
open, th~t the city was so secure from
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 69
every evil attack, there was no need^ of
keeping the gates shut, nor of employing
any guards. But what do the gates, the
walls, and streets Signify? The gates
always open signify, that by the passion of
Christ admittance has been given to all
men, of entering the city of God, and of
His angels ; " Christ having overcome the
sting of death, hath opened to believers the
kingdom of heaven." And not one only,
but twelve gates are there, by which chris-
tians can enter the city : thus St. John tells
us : "On the east, three gates ; and on the
north, three gates ; and on the south, three
gates; and on the west, three gates/
Therein enter, not the Jews alone, as they
imagine ; but all nations from every quar
ter of the earth: nay, so few Jews enter, as
to bear no comparison with the others.
Thus our Lord predicted when He spoke
of the centurion: " Amen I say unto you,
I have not found so great faith in Israel.
And I say to you, that many shall come
from the east and the west, and shall sit
down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob
in the kingdom of heaven : but the children
of the kingdom shall be cast out into the
exterior darkness." And in the parable of
the vineyard, " Therefore I say to you, that
the kingdom of God shall be taken from
you, and shall be given to a nation yielding
the fruits thereof." But this is most
clearly expressed in St. Luke : { There
shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth,
70 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
wlien you shall see Abraham, and Isaac,
and Jacob, and all the prophets in the
kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.
And there shall come from the east and
the west, and the north and the south, and
shall sit down in the kingdom of God/
Three gates are said to be from every part
of the world, making in all twelve, because
an entrance will be open, not only from the
east and the west, the north and the south,
but from the beginning of the east, from
the middle, and from the end of the east,
and so of the other parts. Another expla
nation may perhaps please us more, that
the three gates are fixed to each part of
the heavenly city, to express the mystery
of the Trinity and the three most necessary
virtues: for all those enter from the four
quarters of the globe, who being baptized
in the name of the three divine Persons,
have persevered to the end in Faith, Hope,
and Charity.
CHAPTER VI.
ON THE WALLS AND STREETS OF THE CITY OF GOD.
THE walls of the city signify nothing
more,^ than the divine protection, which
alone is sufficient to guard the city, without
the aid of soldiers, arms, or towers. "And
I will be, saith the Lord, a wall of fire
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 71
round about : and I will be in glory in the
midst thereof." (Zacharias ii.) Truly ad
mirable promise ! "I will^be a wall of fire
round about" to restrain the enemy:
" and I will be in glory in the midst there
of" to honour the citizens. As if He had
said : Fire burns and shines : I will there
fore burn mine enemies, and enlighten my
friends: thus will I be a "fire round
about," and a light of glory in the midst
thereof. This St. John explains where he
says: "And the city hath no need of the
sun, nor of the moon to shine in it. For
the glory of God hath enlightened^ it, and
the Lamb is the lamp thereof." The
brightness of God, as a sun, illumines their
souls ; and Christ, the Lamb of God, illu
mines the body. But Christ is said to be
a "lamp," not because it is necessary in
the night, but with reference to his divi
nity : for if the just shall shine like the sun
in the kingdom of God, as our Lord tells us
in St, Matthew ; how much more glorious
will Christ appear not as a lamp, but as
the chief Sun enlightening the city of God !
And, therefore, St. John adds, " For there
shall be no night." The streets of the city
comprehend the whole space which is
within the circumference of the walls. This
is the habitation of the heavenly citizens -
all of which is pure gold ; that is, an ardent
and pure charity which embraceth all, and
by which all live in each through mutual
love : and not only all in all, but all dwell
72 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
in God, and God in all: " for he that abid-
eth in charity, abideth in God, and God
in him." (1 St. John iv. 16.) And that
this might be accomplished, Christ our
Lord asked of His Father in that prayer
which he made before His passion, in pre
sence of all His apostles, saying: "And
not for them only do I pray, but for them
also who through their word shall believe in
me: That they may all be one, as thou
Father in Me, and I in Thee; that they
also may be one in Us." (St. John xvii.
20, 21.) O blessed city which, placed on
the highest mountain, enjoyest the purest
air! Thou art founded on a rock, that
thou mayest have eternal strength: thy
gates shine as pearls, and are always open
to those that enter : God is thy wall, that
continually surrounds thee by His protec
tion, and adorns thee as a precious jasper-
stone : thy street is charity, purer than any
gold, clearer than any crystal, which
maketh all that dwell within thee, to be of
one heart and one soul ; which filleth them
with ineffable joy, and crowneth them with
eternal peace : "My soul longeth and fairit-
eth" for thy courts."" What can be
* beatissima Civitas, quse in monte altissimo sita, aur
purissima fraeris; quse super petram fundata es, ut eeternS
lirmitate nitaris; cujus portaB ut margaritse fulgent, et
semper in troeuntibus patent; cujus murus Deus est, quite
protectione sua semper eircumdat, et ut lapis Jaspis pretio-
sus exornat; cujus Platea Charitas est omiii auro lucidior,
et oinni crystal I o candidior, quae oinnes in te habitantes
facit esse cor unum, et Animum unum," &c.
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 73
sweeter to one labouring and groaning
amidst a corrupt nation -amongst false
brethren in a world " seated in iniquity,"
than to flee away to a kingdom wherein the
sweetest peace is found, wherein charity
alone reigneth? " When shall I come and
appear before the face of my God?"
(Psalm xli.) What more desirable for a
soul that loves God, than to behold her
Beloved to be seen by her Beloved and
by an intimate and most joyful union, to
dwell within Him, and He in her ! It may
indeed appear an intolerable boldness, that
dust and ashes should sigh after thy courts,
O holy city, and a still greater audacity,
that a vile creature should aspire to the
embraces of his Creator. But He will ex
cuse this boldness, since He hath given it
unto us, when he asked the Father, that
"all might be one ;" and that as the Father
is in the Son, and the Son in the Father,
so also we might be one in both.
CHAPTER VII.
ON THE TEMPLE OF THE CITY OF GOD.
BUT there is something else wanting in
the city, viz : a temple to praise God, and
to take our meat and drink: of garments
we shall stand in no need. For if in the
earthly paradise Adam and Eve required
74 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
none, much less will the Saints want them
in their heavenly paradise, where all are
clothed with light as with a garment. And
not only Adam and Eve required food, but
also the angels themselves, as Raphael
saith : " But I use an invisible meat and
drink, which cannot be seen by men."
(Tobias xii. 19.) And so also in relation to
this temple, St. John thus speaks in his
Apocalypse: "And I saw no temple therein.
For the Lord God Almighty is the temple
thereof, and the Lamb." (chap, xxi.) That
St. John saw no temple in the holy city,
must not appear strange to us : in the
church militant temples are erected, for
four reasons : That the word of God might
be preached to the people ; that the sacra
ments and sacrifices might be celebrated;
that public prayer might be offered to
God, and Psalms sung to the Lord with
joy and gladness. Now the preaching of
God s word will cease in heaven, where the
uncreated Word itself will clearly speak
unto all, according to the prediction of
Jeremiah the prophet: "And they shall
teach 110 more every man his neighbour,
and every man his brother, saying : "Know
the Lord : for all shall know me from the
least of them even to the greatest, saith
the Lord." (chap. xxi. 34.) Sacraments
and sacrifice likewise will not be necessary
there, where neither sin is to expiated, nor
signs are required, because the thing signi
fied will then be made manifest. Prayer
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 75
and praise are here on earth given to God
in sacred temples dedicated unto Him, be
cause He hath promised to have His eyes
and ears open to the prayers of those who
should gather together in His name ; thus
He spoke to Solomon in the 2nd Book of
Paralipomenon : " My eyes also shall be
open, and my ears attentive to the prayer
of him who shall pray in this place."
(chap. vii. 15.) But since in the heavenly
city, God will be seen and heard by all,
there is no necessity for a temple in that
place. Thus we can easily understand
what St. John saith : " And I saw no tem
ple therein:" but why has he added, " For
the Lord God Almighty is the temple
thereof, and the Lamb?" If no temple be
required, why is God himself said to be the
Temple of that city, and not only God,
but the " Lamb " also ? Or who shall ex
plain for us, how God and the Lamb are
called " Temples " in heaven? And what
use hath this temple in heaven? In the holy
Scripture it is usual for one sentence to
serve as an explanation of another, or an
obscure passage to be made intelligible by
another that is clearer. In the 90th Psalm
it is said: "He who dwelleth in the aid
of the Most High, shall abide under the
protection of the God of heaven." The
meaning of these words is: he who is
united to God by a sure confidence, abides
as it were in God, in whom he dwells se
curely, and is protected from all evil. The
76 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
same may be said of prayer and praise ; for
he that hy an intimate reverence is joined
to God, makes, as it were, a house for him
self in God, that so whilst living in it, he
may praise God and pray unto Him as he
ought. Thus, therefore, the Lord God
Almighty is the "Temple" in heaven of
the holy city, since these blessed citizens,
most attentively considering the omnipo
tence of God, and thus united to Him by an
intimate reverence, dwell in Him, and offer
Him worthy praise. So also when they
consider the merits of Christ, who as an
innocent Lamb delivered himself an obla
tion, and a victim to God as an odour of
sweetness, they are intimately united with
Him by love : and reposing in Him as in a
temple, they pray for us, and doubtless find
the eyes and ears of God open, so that
whatsoever they ask they obtain for us.
But if, to praise God and to intercede for
us, these blessed citizens dwell in Him and
in Christ, as in a temple, what must we do
who neither see God nor Christ ? !
would that by the grace of God, we could
so praise Him and pray unto Him, that
being first united to Him by true humility,
and a deep reverence from the consideration
of His Supreme Majesty, we could dwell in
Him as in a most sacred temple ! Then
not carelessly or with distraction, but most
attentively and devoutly should we sing our
grateful praises to God, and offer up to the
Lord prayers that would benefit ourselves
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 77
and our brethren ; then would these words
be fulfilled: " The sacrifice of praise shall
florify me : and there is the way by which
will show him the salvation of God."
(Psalm xlix.)
The divine praises, offered up on the
altar of the heart by the fire of charity,
ascend as an odour of wonderful sweetness ;
and they obtain for us, that our path may
be opened and our heart enlightened, to
behold the salvation which God hath pre
pared for those that love Him. But all
these benefits those miserable men lose,
who pray and sing the divine praises with
distraction, and a voluntary dryness of
heart; they participate with others in the
labour of singing and praying, but they en
joy not the divine consolation, nor a fore
taste of heavenly happiness.
CHAPTER VIII.
ON THE MEAT AND DRINK IN THE CITY OF GOD.
CONCERNING the meat and drink of the
city of God, we find these words in the
Apocalypse : " And he showed me a river
of the water of life clear as crystal, pro
ceeding from the throne of God and of the
Lamb. And in the midst of the street
thereof, and on both sides of the river was
the tree of life, bearing twelve fruits, yielding
78 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 3 OR THE
its fruits every month; and the leaves of
the tree were for the healing of the nations/
(chap, xxii.) I am afraid, that some, judg
ing from these words, may wonder at the
scantiness of food in heaven, and. think that
more substantial meat is to be found in this
land of our exile ; since in the Apocalypse
we read of nothing, but the fruit of one tree
for food, and the water of a river for drink.
But those who suppose such a thing should
remember, that in the terrestrial paradise,
where doubtless there was better food than
we have now, Adam was only allowed to
eat fruit and herbs, and drink water ; but
this fruit and water were far superior to all
the food and wine of this life, though not so
in any degree, to the "tree of life/ and
the living water of the heavenly paradise.
In this vale of misery, all men are sickly
and have their sense of taste corrupted by a
kind of bitterness, and therefore to remove
this nausea, they have invented various
kinds of food ; but this variety so lessens
the nausea, as to increase the disease. In
the terrestrial paradise however, men were
healthy, for the sweetness and wholesome-
ness of the food and of the water were such,
as to be able perfectly to nourish them, and
to their great delight, to keep them in con
tinual health ; we may add also, that their
food was abundantly supplied, without the
labour and toil of procuring it. But the
living water and "the tree of life" in the
city of God, are not like the meat and drink
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 79
of man in common with animals, such as
we have in this world ; but so excellent, so
great, so divine are they, that the Prophet
sings, " They shall be inebriated with the
plenty of thy house, and thou shalt make
them drink of the torrent of thy pleasure."
(Psalm xxxv.) Neither is this meat or
drink any thing corporal, but it is spiritual
and divine, of which we read in Ecclesias-
ticus: "She will give him the water of
wholesome wisdom to drink ;" and the^tree
of life is that bread, of which it is written
in the same place, " with the bread of life
and understanding she shall feed him."
(chap. 15.) And as St. Augustine teacheth,
"in corporal things food is one thing, and
drink another," but in spiritual matters, food
and drink are the same ; that is, wisdom,
or understanding, 01^ intelligence, which
signify the same thing, is food that nourishes
and drink that extinguishes thirst. But
by the " livingVater," wisdom also may be
signified, and by the " tree of life," charity ;
thus St. John in his first Epistle, " We
know that we have passed from death to
life, because we love the brethren. He that
loveth not, abideth in death." (chap, iii.)
To love as well as to understand, are both
spiritual actions ; wherefore, the drink of
the saints in the city of ^God, is to drink of
the living river that springs from the foun
tain of life, which is God; this means, to
enjoy a participation of that ^ wisdom by
which God is wise, and which is most pro-
80 THE KINGDOM CF GOD, OR THE
found, high, and unspeakable. The food
of the same saints is to eat of the " tree of
life ;" that is, to enjoy a share of that
ineffable love, whereby goodness itself being
clearly seen can be loved, and by which
God loves Himself, who is infinitely good,
and the fountain of all goodness. What
these signify, we cannot, nor shall we be
able to understand, until we arrive at this
blessed city. But when St. John says,
ff that on both sides of the river is the tree
of life, yielding its fruit every month," we
must understand the passage metaphori
cally, that by a comparison taken from
corporal things we may understand the
spiritual. The blessed Evangelist intended
to point out to us the tree of infinite good
ness; and that he might do this, he des
cribed the tree which grew at the bank of
the river, and which from its excellence,
being continually watered, produced fruit
every month, not every yoar as others do.
Neither does he wish to intimate, that there
is only one tree, but many of the same kind,
which are so planted on both sides of the
river flowing through the middle of the
city, that there is little space between the
one and the other ; and in this manner, the
view of the whole city can be enjoyed, and
the flow of the water as well as the fruit of
the tree. The goodness of the tree is sig
nified by the words tree of life ; its fruitful-
ness by the production of new fruit every
month. Hence it is, that the inhabitants
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 81
of the city always have fresh and ripe fruit
fresh, from having it every month ripe,
from having had it the month immediately
preceding: it is never rotten, never dry,
never insipid. All this signifies, that the
food of the blessed, (that is, the wisdom by
which they perfectly see God, and the
charity whereby they perfectly love Him,)
is the best, .and never faileth. That which
the holy Evangelist adds concerning the
leaves of the tree, "for the healing of the
nations/ seems to mean, that in this our
exile, the fruit of the tree of life itself will
never be given unto us, but only its leaves ;
these, however, although they confer not
eternal life, are yet useful in " healing" our
disorders, the concupiscence of the flesh,
the concupiscence of the eyes, the pride of
life, &c., by which all men are enfeebled
more or less. These leaves are the divine
revelations of the prophets and apostles,
sent to us from heaven. ! how sweet an
odour would these leaves scatter, if we had
the spirit of the Lord. Read the Prophets,
the Psalmist, the Gospels, the Epistles of
SS. Peter, Paul, John, James, Jude, all
these breathe humility, charity, and con-
tinency, of which the philosophers make no
mention."*
Wherefore, Christian soul, diligently
* St. Jerome also says, " Oro te, Frater charissime, inter
hrec vivere, ista meditari, nihil aliud nosse, /lihil quserere;
nonne tibi yidetur jam hie in terris Regni coai^stis habitacu-
lum." (Epist. ad Fauliimm.) g
82 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
peruse these leaves, make unto thee from
them a daily medicine ; and imagine what
must be the fruit thereof. And, then despis
ing the husks of swine, ardently sigh for the
fruit of Eternal life which is above ; think
of it, and as long as it is deferred, let the
memory of it never depart from thee.
CHAPTER IX
OX THE MYSTICAL FOUNDATION OF THE CITY OF GOD.
WE have already considered one part of
the heavenly Jerusalem, let us now consider
another part of the structure. A city not
only includes foundations, gates, walls,
streets, but also a body of citizens, who
according to the variety of their functions,
are called the foundations, gates or walls.
Hence perhaps a city may more properly be
named a collection of citizens under the same
laws, rather than a collection of houses
within the same walls. Thus Cicero speaks
in the Dream of Scipio : " An assembly of
men united by laws are called citizens."
Now concerning the heavenly city, which
consists of citizens, not only St. John men
tions it, but also St. Peter in his first
Epistle, and St. Paul in his Epistle to the
Ephesians. We have read in the Apoca
lypse, that in the twelve gates were twelve
angels, and thereon were in scribed the names
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 83
of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel,
and in the twelve foundations the twelve
names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
In the first Epistle of St. Peter we read,
" Unto whom coming as to a living stone,
rejected indeed by men, but chosen and
made honourable by God; be you also as
living stones built up." (chap, ii.) And in
St. Paul s Epistle to the Ephesians, " Now
therefore you are no more strangers and
foreigners, but you are fellow-citizens with
the saints, and domestics of God, built
upon the foundation of the apostles and
prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the
chief corner-stone." (chap. ii. ver. 19.) In
the first place, therefore, the city of God
has for its foundations the apostles and
prophets, because their doctrine supports
the whole fabric. Faith is the beginning
of salvation, but faith has been revealed by
the prophets and apostles, either by writing
or preaching the mysteries of the blessed
Trinity, the incarnation, the resurrection of
the dead, everlasting glory, eternal tor
ments ; others also, which are above human
reason, we have learned from the apostles
and prophets, to whom God had revealed
them.
But although faith has no place amongst
the blessed, since what they believed they
see, and what is seen is not believed, but
known and understood ; yet the apostles
and prophets are called the "Foundations"
of the heavenly city, because faith being
84 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OB THE
the beginning of salvation, is consequently
the beginning of beatitude. But since St.
Peter saith, that we as living stones are
built upon Christ, and St. Paul in his first
Epistle to the Corinthians, "For other
foundation no man can lay, but that which
is laid, which is Christ Jesus;" therefore
there is but one foundation, because in the
twelve foundations of the apostles Christ
existed, as St. Austin teacheth in his expla
nation of the 86th Psalm. He himself or
His Spirit spoke by them and taught them :
hear the apostle Paul, "Do you seek a
proof of Christ that speaketh in me :" hear
Christ himself, " He that heareth you,
heareth me;" and again, "It is not you
that speak, but the Spirit of your Father
that speaketh in you." It is certain that
the Spirit of the Father and the Son is one
and the same; hence we may conclude,
that not only the twelve Apostles are ^to be
included in " the twelve foundations," but
all those likewise who first preached the
same faith ; otherwise St. Paul himself and
St. Barnabas, and the seventy disciples who
were not in the number of the Apostles,
could not be called foundations, nor even
the Prophets themselves; and we should
make the apostle a liar, (which God forbid,)
who hath said, "that we are built on ? the
foundation of the apostles and prophets."
But here occurs a rather difficult ques
tion; how can Christ be truly the founda
tion of the building, when he is called by
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 85
the apostle " the chief corner-stone;" and
David says of Him, that He is exalted to
be the "head of the corner?" How can
the same stone be in the foundation and at
the top? But if we remember that these
expressions are metaphorical, we shall
easily understand, that to one person con
trary names may be applied, on account of
the diversity of his functions. Now not
only Christ, who is both God and man, but
every prelate is the foundation and the head
of his Church, because as " the foundation/
he ought to bear the weight of the building,
the infirmities of all, and therefore he ought
to be below all; and yet as " head" of the
building, he is appointed to rule all, com
mand all, and be supported by all. Much
more justly, therefore, can Christ our Lord
be called the foundation of the Church,
because He supports us all, and rules us by
His power and authority ; at the same time,
He is placed as the "Head," to connect the
two points, and of the Jews and Gentiles
to form one people, to rule and govern all.
CHAPTER X.
ON THE MYSTICAL GATE OF THE CITY OF GOD.
LET us now in order consider the gates
of the heavenly Jerusalem. According to
the general exposition of interpreters, the
86 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
twelve Apostles are to be understood by the
gates : in this explanation they follow St.
Augustine in his exposition of the 86th
Psalm. But when St. John in the Apoca
lypse speaks of the "gates/ he mentions
twelve angels and the twelve tribes of thei
children of Israel, whose names are written
on the twelve gates of the city of God : but
in that verse he makes no mention of the
apostles. But the opinion of St. Augustine
and of those who follow him is not there
fore erroneous", for St. John speaks mysti
cally, not literally as a prophet, not as an
historian. The whole description is full of
mystical significations.* The land of pro
mise, according to all interpreters, was a
figure of the heavenly Jerusalem. Abra
ham was the first to whom the promise was
made : " All the land which thou seest, I
will give to thee, and to thy seed for ever."
(Genesis xiii. 15.) And St. Paul, in his
Epistle to the Galatians : To Abraham
were the promises made, and to his seed;"
and a little lower he adds : "But God gave
it to Abraham by promise." Isaac alone
was the heir of Abraham, Ismael being
excluded, who was the son of the free
woman. Thus the Scripture, "For the
* It. was a saying of St. Jerome, "that the Apocalypse
contained as many mysteries as it had words." It would
have been well, had Newton, Faber, Bickersteth, Keith, &c.,
remembered these words, when they were publishing their
opinions on various chapters of the Apocalypse. If St.
Jerome could not understand tins mysterious book, much,
less could the above mentioned writers
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 87
son of the bond-woman shall not be heir
with my son Isaac." Jacob alone was the
heir of Isaac, Esau, his brother, being ex
cluded, who sold his birthright. Hence the
prophet Malachias says, " I have loved
Jacob, but have hated Esau ;" and these
words the apostle repeats in his Epistle to
the Romans. The heirs of Jacob were all
his sons, twelve in number, not one of whom
was excluded; and thus the land of pro
mise was divided amongst the twelve tribes
of Israel, as we learn from the Book of
Josue. This is, therefore, the reason why
St. John said in the Apocalypse, that on
the twelve gates were inscribed the names
of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel;
because the entrance into the promised land
was a right of inheritance, which belonged
to all the children of Israel alone. But, as
we mentioned above,, St. John speaks figu
ratively, so that by the twelve tribes of
Israel are meant the true Israelites, not
according to the flesh, but according to
faith and the spirit ; and therefore the
twelve Apostles are included, as well as
their spiritual children. For, as St. Paul
clearly teaches us in his Epistle to the
Romans: "All are not Israelites that are
of Israel, neither are all they that are of the
seed of Abraham, children/ (chap. ix. 6.)
The same Apostle compares Israel to a
tree, whose many branches are broken on
account of unbelief, and others ingrafted
by reason of faith. Thus, when the Gen-
88 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
tiles were converted, they began to be
children of Israel, and many of the Jews
ceased to be time Israelites. St. Augustine
thus proves this point at length :* " Is not
this a wonderful and deep mystery, that
many, not born of Israel, should belong to
Israel, and many not children, though they
were of the seed of Abraham? How are
they not ? How are they sons ? It is, that
they are not sons of promise*, belonging to
the grace of Christ, but sons of the flesh,
bearing an empty name ; and thus, neither
are they of Israel as we are, nor are we of
Israel like they are : for we are according
to a spiritual regeneration, they according
to a carnal one In the grand-chil
dren of Abraham, the sons of Isaac viz.,
Jacob and Esau this great and profound
mystery appears, of which the Apostle
speaks when he had mentioned the sons
promised to Abraham as belonging to the
grace of Christ. This the apostolic and
catholic doctrine clearly teaches, that the
Jews belong to Sara, according to the flesh,
but the Isrnaelites to Agar ; and, accord
ing to the spirit, Christians belong to Sara,
Jews to Agar ; to Esau likewise, according
to the flesh, who is also called Edom, the
nation of the Idumeans ; to Jacob, who is
also called Israel, the nation of the Jews ;
but, according to the mystery of the Spirit,
the Jews to Esau belong, to Israel the
* Epistola ad Asellicum.
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 89
Christians." Thus St. Augustine clearly
proves, that Christians are true Israelites,
not according to the flesh, but according to
the Spirit ; and that thereby they are heirs
of the land of promise, which is in heaven.
Wherefore, the gates of the heavenly Jeru
salem have inscribed on them the names of
the twelve tribes of Israel, because the gate
by which we enter the land of promise is
the inheritance of the Sons of God, who
alone are true and sincere ChristianS, the
children of the blessed Apostles. These are
signified by the true Israelites, that is, the
sons of the patriarch Jacob ; and when St.
John adds, that on the gates were twelve
angels, he means that angels are the guar
dians of those gates, whose office is to pre
vent any one entering, that has not the
right of inheritance. For this reason, per
haps, St. Michael, the archangel, is repre
sented with scales in his hands, because
by the angels under him he examines the
merits of those who aspire to this heavenly
city.
CHAPTER XL
ON THE MYSTICAL STONES OF THE CITY OF GOD.
THE rest of the building consists of
stones ; and these are all the faithful, who
are built up," according to the expression
90 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
of St. Peter and St. Paul in their Epistles ;
and since this part of the building regards
every one, it will be very desirable for us
to remember the conditions or qualities
which those must possess who desire to be
built on the foundation of Christ and the
apostles, under the chief corner-stone,
Christ Jesus; that so they may not only be
in the heavenly city, but may also them
selves become the highest and most happy
city 8f God.
Three conditions are requisite to be built
on so noble a foundation: 1st. That we be
stones ; 2nd. That we be living ones ; 3rd.
That we be well polished, and be cut
square. We must therefore be stones, not
wood, or hay, or stubble, that we may make
the wall solid that is, we should be sober
and firm, persevering in faith, in charity,
in humility, and obedience to the Com
mandments, and not allow ourselves to be
carried about " by every wind of doctrine,"
as heretics dp ; neither should we be carried
away by various inordinate desires, as bad
Catholics are very often. These are not
used as stones by the builders of the eter
nal city, for they serve only for cottages
which are easily destroyed. In the second
place, we should be " living stones," as St.
Peter admonishes us, that is, full of charity
and spiritual life, such as Christ is, " the
corner stone," who, although He died once
according to the flesh, yet He always lived
according to the Spirit, and after death rose
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 91
again to die no more. Dead stones build
dead edifices, that is, corporal ; but a spiri
tual house, or rather the city of our great
King, which is spiritual and celestial,
requires spiritual stones, and therefore
"living" ones. Thirdly, we must be square
and polished stones, not unpolished or
shapeless, because thus it becometh the
building of a city that is superior to all
others. So Arphaxat the king built the
city of Ecbatana of square and polished
stones, as we read in the book of Judith ;
and if King Solomon erected a temple to
the Lord so beautifully adorned, what ought
to be the building of that Eternal city, which
so far exceeds all other cities ? But this
beautifying of our building must be done on
earth, not in heaven ; and of this the tem
ple of Solomon was a figure. Thus we read
in the third book of Kings : "And the house
when it was in building was built of stones
hewed and made ready, so that there was
neither hammer nor axe, nor any tool of
iron heard in the house when it was build
ing." (chap. vii. 7.) The reason was, be
cause the stones were cut and prepared at
a distance from the house of the Lord ; and
thus they were so perfectly polished, that,
when they were brought to the temple,
they were laid in their proper places with
out the sound of the hammer being heard.
In the heavenly Jerusalem, also, the sound
of the hammer will not be heard, because
there no persecution will be, no tribulation
92 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
no penitential labour, no sighing, no sor
row, no sadness. Wherefore, those stones
that are chosen for the glory of the
heavenly mansions, ought in this vale of
tears to be well cut and polished : thus the
Church sings :
" Tunsionibus, pressuris,
Expoliti Lapides,
Suis coaptantur locis,
Per manus Artificis,
Disponuntur permansuri,
Sacris sedificiis. "
Here penitential labour is necessary for
us, because "we all offend in many things/*
as St. James affirmeth: here our carnal
concupiscence must be tamed, our self-will
conquered, our body chastised and brought
into subjection : here with indefatigable
diligence must we oppose the " shield of
faith" against the fiery darts of impure
spirits. Therefore, if we cannot bear the
stroke of the hammer, how can we, being
unpolished, be admitted by the heavenly
Architect to form part of the building ? !
if men could but comprehend how much
ood they deprive themselves of by flying
om this hammer, and being unwilling to
endure anything that is^ difficult, bitter,
and contrary to their inclination, assuredly
they would then alter their mind, and fast
often instead of having their banquets;
throwing aside their soft garments, they
would put on sackcloth, and give themselves
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 93
up to watching and prayer, instead of in
dulging in vain talk ; and if they received
any injury from false brethren, or from open
enemies, they would not think of revenge,
but would give thanks to God, and earnestly
pray to Him for their calumniators and
persecutors: this they would do, because
" The sufferings of this time are not worthy
to be compared with the glory to come,
that shall be revealed in us;" and again,
That which is at present momentary and
light of our tribulation, worketh for us
above measure exceedingly an eternal weight
of glory."
And truly, if we consider the "living
stones" that have preceded us in the hea
venly building, we shall see that all were
polished by many strokes of the hammer.
Christ Himself, " the corner-stone," and
most precious, who stood in need of no
polishing, yet suffered for us that He might
leave us an example : " Who, when He was
reviled, did not revile ; when He suffered,
He threatened not." All the Apostles
could say with St. Paul : " Even unto this
hour we both hunger and thirst, and are
naked and are buffeted, and have no fixed
abode : and we labour, working with our
hands: we are reviled, and we bless; we
are persecuted, and we suffer it. We are
blasphemed, and we entreat ; we are made
as the refuse of this world, the offscouring
of all even until now." (1 Epistle to the
Corinthians, chap, iv.) What shall I say of
94 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
the martyrs ? Did not all ascend unto the
city of the heavenly Jerusalem, after they
had been "cut and polished" by many
tribulations and most cruel deaths ? I
omit mentioning the holy confessors, ancho
rets, virgins, widows, and all others who
served God. Unless these had crucified
their flesh, with its vices and concupiscen
ces, and had waged war against themselves,
they would not have been admitted to the
heavenly building. But this polishing of
" living stones" was necessary, not only
after the coming of our Saviour, but before
also, and from the t beginning of the world
itself. The first living stone was Abel,
cruelly slain by his brother Gain; after
wards came the holy patriarch Joseph, sold
by his brothers. The angel Raphael said
to Tobias also : Because thou wast
pleasing to God, it was necessary that
temptation should try thee." He did not
say, because thou wast a sinner, and hate
ful to God, it was necessary that you should
be punished with blindness and poverty ;
but he said, because thou wast pleasing
unto God, being just and holy, therefore, as
a living stone destined for the heavenly
building, it was necessary that you should
bear the stroke of the hammer. Who
amongst the prophets did not suffer perse
cution from the impious ? What torments
did not the holy Machabees endure ? Let
us hear the apostle Paul speaking of the
saints in the old Law, in his Epistle to tha
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 95
Hebrews : And others had trials of
mockeries and stripes, moreover, also, of
bonds and prisons. They were stoned,
they were cut asunder, they were tempted,
they were put to death by the sword, they
wandered about in sheep-skins, in goat
skins, in mountains, and in the dens and
caves of the earth." (chap. xi. 37, 38.)
What wilt thou say, Christian soul, to these
words ? If the hammer of the builder did
not spare those of whom the world was not
worthy, on account of their great sanctity,
that so they might be fitly polished for the
celestial building, what will become of thee,
and of those like thee, who indulge in sin,
and consider penitential labours too heavy?
One of these two things is necessary: either
that thou suffer in this life or in purgatory,
or be deprived of a place in that Edifice
above, and made to bear for ever the ham
mer of hell. Why, therefore, dost thou not
choose (if thou be wise) rather to endure
the short and momentary tribulations of
this life, than to be condemned to future
ones, eternal and intolerable ?
Despise not the purgatorial punishments
of the world to come ; although they are
not eternal, yet are they more grievous, and
often of longer duration, than any torment
of this life. Hear St. Augustine s Expia
tion of the 37th Psalm : " It is said, thou
shalt ba saved, yet so as by fiie ; and be
cause it is said, * Thou shalt be saved/ this
fire is contemned; yet it will be more
96 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
grievous than any torment a man can
endure in this life/ He also adds, " that
the torments will be more severe than the
punishments of robbers and the torments
of the martyrs :" wherefore, those are mad
who despise the fire of purgatory, and dread
the tribulations of this present life/ And
because in the mouth of two or three wit
nesses every word shall stand, hear St. Gre
gory on the third penitential Psalm : " I
consider this transitory fire to be more in
tolerable than all present tribulations ;"
hear St. Bernard in his Sermon on the
death of Humbert, a monk: "But this
know, that, after this life, in purgatory will
be required a hundred-fold what hath here
been neglected, even unto the last far
thing/ Hear, in fine, St. Anselm, in his
Explanation of the third chapter of St.
Paul s First Epistle to the Corinthians:
We must know that this fire is more
grievous than anything a man can endure
in this life ; all the torments of the world are
mild in comparison with it, and yet men to
* St. Teresa mentions in her " Life," having seen in Pur
gatory the souls of many persons of remarkable virtue;
some in a secular, others in a religious state, of her ovvr,
nunnery and of several other orders ; though she says, their
penitential and holy lives, their patience, their great regu
larity in their convent, their tears and humility at their
death, had persuaded her they would be admitted straight
to glory. " But," (she continues,) "amongst all the souls I
have seen, I have not known any one to have escaped
purgatory except three, F. Peter of Alcantara, F. Peter
Ivagnez, a religious man of the order of St. Dominic, and a
Carmelite Friar." (See her own life, chap. 38, translated
\>y the pious Mr. Woodhead. 2 vols. 4to. 1669.)
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 97
avoid them will do whatever they are com
manded by others. How much better
would it be to do what God commands, that
so we might not suffer more grievous tor
ments !"
CHAPTER XII.
ON FLYING FROM THE CITY OF THIS WORLD.
HAVING spoken of the city of God, it only
remains that we now explain in a few words
what is especially required, as the condition
of our being enrolled citizens of this most
blessed kingdom. This can be mentioned
in one word ; that we renounce the world,
and live in it as strangers and pilgrims.
We cannot be citizens of the world and of
heaven at the same time ; and there is no
one who flies from the world, who is not
immediately received into the midst of the
city of God. But let us consider the whole
subject more at length.
Two cities are mentioned in the Holy
Scripture; the city of this world which
commenced in Cain, for he was the first
who founded one, as we read in the book of
Genesis; and the city of heaven which
began in Abel, the founder of which was
not Abel, but God, as St. Paul mentions.
Babylon was a figure of the first, which
signifies "confusion;* but of the latter,
98 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
Jerusalem was typical, the City of our great
king, which^ means the "vision of peace."
Those are inhabitants of the earthly city
who dwell therein, not only in body, but
also in heart, who love the earth, pant after
its pleasures, struggle for them, contend for
them. Of this city the devil is prince, who
having been cast down from heaven, pos
sessed the government of the earth. For
although our Lord said when his Passion
drew nigh, " now is the judgment of the
world, now shall the prince of this world be
cast out ;" and although He truly cast him
out by His cross, and triumphed over him,
according to St. Paul in his Epistle to the
Colossians, " And despoiling the principali
ties and powers, he hath exposed them
confidently in open show, triumphing over
them in himself;" yet we must not suppose
that the devil was entirely "cast out" of
the world, or that he has completely lost
the dominion of the world, but only that he
was ^ cast out of all those, and has lost
dominion over them who united themselves
with Christ and his heavenly city, and fled
from this earthly one. But that the devil
hath yet power over the city of this world,
the Apostle teaches us in his Epistle to the
Ephesians: "For our wrestling is not
against flesh and blood, but against princi
palities and powers, against the rulers of
the world of this darkness, against the spirits
of wickedness in the high places." (chap. vi.
12.) Wherefore Satan, together with his
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAiNT.3. 99
satellites, yet has power in the world, and is
the "ruler" thereof; that is, of earthly-
minded men, inhabitants of this earthly
city, of which St. John says, " It is seated
in wickedness." As if he had said, the
world is united with its chief, who is wicked,
or the world is under the power and domin
ion of a " wicked" demon.
But the inhabitants of the heavenly city,
are those who reign happily in its kingdom,
and those also, who although they dwell on.
earth in their mortal body, are far from it
in their heart, for their conversation is in
heaven, and " they desire to be dissolved
and to be with Christ. 9 But because whilst
on earth they are mixed up with its citizens,
therefore the Holy Scripture saith, that they
are in the world, but not of the world, and
in the world, not as citizens, but as strangers
and pilgrims ; thus St. Peter teacheth,
" Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers
and pilgrims to refrain yourselves from car
nal desires which war against the soul;"
on the contrary, the citizens of the world
are said in Holy Scripture to be, " Strangers
to the Testament, having no hope of the
promise, and without God in this world."
These words St. Paul makes use of in his
Epistle to the Ephesians. Since, then, this
is the truth, let no one deceive himself, let
no one imagine that he can be a citizen of
the world and a citizen of heaven at the
same time. Citizens of the world are of
the world, citizens of heaven are not of the
100 THE KINGDOM OF GOD., OR THE
world. To be of the world, and not to be
of the world, are contradictory terms, there
fore they cannot be united. Hence those
whom earthly objects delight, can have no
place in the heavenly city, unless they first
flee from the world, unless they renounce
it, unless they despise its pleasures.
And since these considerations are impor
tant and understood by few, or not con
sidered as they ought to be, therefore that
no one may plead ignorance at the Last day,
the apostles and evangelists inculcate and
repeat them over and over again ; hear our
Lord : " You are of this world, I am not of
this world ;" and to the Apostles He says,
" If you had been of the world, the world
would love its own: but because you are
not of the world, bat I have chosen you out
of the world, therefore the world hateth
you ;" hear St. Paul: "The wisdom of this
world is foolishness with God;" and again,
" You must needs go out of this world
that we be not condemned with it;" hear
St. James: " Know you not that the friend
ship of this world is the enemy of God?
Whosoever, therefore, will be a friend of
this world, becometh an enemy of God;"
and St. Peter saith: " Fly the corruption
of that concupiscence which is in the
world:" and St. John; "Love not the
world, nor the things which are in the
world. If any man love the world, the
chanty of the Father is not in him." Hear,
in fine, our Lord himself, in his prayer to his
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS 101
Father : " I pray for them, not for the
world do I pray ; but for them whom thou
hast given me And the world hath
hated them, because they are not of the
world, as I also am not of the world."
Here we can most clearly perceive, that the
world is thus condemned and excommuni
cated by God, that Christ does not pray
for it all. But if Christ does not pray for
the world, how can He say in another place,
" God so loved the world as to give his own
beloved Son?" Doth the Father love the
world, and the Son hate it ? Or how doth
the Son exclude the world from His prayer,
whom the Father doth not exclude from
His love ? St. Augustine, explaining this
question, says, that the $ world for which
Christ did not pray, signifies only the
wicked, as St. Paul mentions in his first
Epistle to the Corinthians ; " That we be
not condemned with this world." It may
also be said that Christ did not pray for the
world, because what He then was asking for
the Apostles, did not in the least regard the
world ; for He prayed for the gift of perse
verance : " Keep them in thy name." And
at the same time He prayed that they
might possess eternal glory, when He said,
(t Father, I will that where I am, they also
whom thou hast given me may be with me,
that they may see my glory." (St. John,
chap. xvii. 24.) Now these words cannot
apply to the world, for it is not fit for the
kingdom of heaven, unless it be first puri-
102 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
fied ; as a man covered with dirt and mire,
would not .be fit to enter the chamber of a
king. But God loved the world, and deli
vered his Son for it, that he might cleanse
it, and make it fit for his kingdom. Where
fore Christ prayed for his enemies, not that
they might remain in their wickedness, but
that his Father might pardon them, and
thereby cleanse them, that so they might not
be of the world. This our Saviour observed
in his prayer, when he said, " Not for the
world do I pray," for he added a little
lower, " That the world may believe that
thou hast sent me." The conclusion,
therefore, is, Christ prayed for his friends,
not for the world, because unless we first
leave the world before wo leave the body,
we cannot arrive at the kingdom of God.
Wherefore, whoever loveth this heavenly
city, let him hasten to depart from the
world, lest the last day suddenly come upon
him, and he be snatched from life, when
there will be no hope of his salvation. And
when in spirit he shall have left the world,
let him forget it and its pleasures, and re
member continually the city of the Lord
alone, vowing with the prophet David : " If
I forget thee, Jerusalem, let my right
hand be forgotten. Let my tongue cleave
to my jaws, if I do not remember thee : if I
make not Jerusalem the beginning of my
joy." (Psalm cxxxvi.) This is a true
mark of being citizens of the eternal city,
if truly from our heart we prefer rather to
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS, 103
be deprived of our tongue and of our hands,
than to do or say any thing against the
love of God our Father, and our heavenly
country: and if "the beginning of our joy "
be indeed that City, which maketh its inha
bitants so blessed as not to take pleasure in
any earthly happiness, and the mere re
membrance and expectation of future joys,
be alone sufficient to gladden our heart in
this our exile.
We will now conclude this book with a
passage from St. Augustine, that those who
may not perhaps believe my words, may a,t
least credit those of so great a man. In his
Explanation of the 61st Psalm, he men
tions what are the true marks of the citizens
of the world, and of the inhabitants of the
city of God : " All who seek after earthly
things," he saith, " all who prefer the hap
piness of the world before God, all who
mind their own interests, and not those of
Jesus Christ, belong to that city which is
mystically called Babylon, and have for
their king, the Devil ; but all who mind
the things that are above; who meditate
on heavenly truths ; who live in the world
with fear lest they should offend God, and
who when they do offend him, are not
ashamed to confess their sins ; the mild, the
holy, and just, and good, all these belong
to that city which hath Christ for its
King."
104 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
THE
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS.
BOOK III.
CHAPTER I.
ALL THE BLESSED ARE THE FAMILIAR SONS OF GOD.
" I REJOICED at the things that were said
to me : We shall go into the house of the
Lord." (Psalm cxxi.) That good and
faithful servant has abundant and unspeak
able cause to rejoice, who hath either dili
gently laboured in the vineyard, or multi
plied his ^ talents in business, or was the
first to win the prize in the race, or who
hath gained a crown in Avar or single com
bat, who hath carefully fed the flock en
trusted to him, and courageously defended
them from the wolves: and now having
completed all his labours, he enters with joy
into the house of his Lord. But let us
consider why that is called a House/
which before was named a city: it is not
because the house is narrow, and therefore
doth not deserve the name of a city: on
the contrary, it is infinitely more extensive
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 105
than any city or kingdom. Hear how the
prophet Baruch exclaims : f Israel, how
great is the house of God, and how vast is
the place of his possession ! It is great,
and hath no end: it is high and immense/
(chap. iii. 24.) But why is the House so
great? The first reason is, because the
blessed although occupying every part of
the kingdom of heaven, are all the familiar
friends and domestics of God. For if men
tion were only made of a kingdom or city,
it might be supposed by some, that there
would be many in the city of our God, who
could never see him, never speak unto
him, except they gained admittance by
other greater saints. But this is not the
case ; for all behold God always ; they hold
converse with Him, they speak with Him
face to face whether seraphim or cheru
bim, apostles or prophets, or inferior angels
and saints. Of our angel-guardians who
belong to the last order of spirits, our Lord
saith : " Their angels in heaven always see
the face of my Father who is in heaven."
And St. Paul, writing to the Ephesians,
tells us, that all the blessed are not only
citizens of the saints, but also " domestics
of God." Wherefore, their habitation is
not only called a city, but likewise a
House/ There are many mansions in
heaven, some high, some low ; there is also
a diversity of crowns, some great, some in
ferior, according to the degree of merit : but
yet all the citizens are blessed and happy,
IOC THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
and all clean of heart, and full of charity.
Wherefore, every one in that House sees
God, and converses with him as a domestic
and friend ; although in earthly kingdoms
and cities, there are many who can never
see the king, and very few who are admitted
to his friendship, or to an interview. Ano
ther reason appears to be, because although
in a city many do see the king and speak
to him, yet all are not his sons and heirs,
but only those who live in the palace, and
are acknowledged to be his sons and heirs.
But in the kingdom of heaven and in the
city of our God, all the saints, without any
exception, are true sons of God, brothers of
Christ, heirs of God, and co-heirs with
Christ: neither do the great despise the
inferior, nor is there any envy or jealousy
amongst them. And when our Lord
taught us to recite daily the " Our Father,"
he therein excluded no one : and when he
will say at the last day, "Come, ye blessed
of my Father, possess you the kingdon,
prepared for you from the foundation of the
world/ he will not exclude any one of the
just : and when the Apostle said to the Ro
mans, " Whosoever are led by the Spirit of
God, they are the sons of God ;" and again,
"For the Spirit himself giveth testimony to
our spirit, that we are the sons of God.
And if sons, heirs also ; heirs indeed of
God, and joint heirs with Christ," no one
is excluded, neither great nor little, provided
he possess the Spirit of God, and suffer him-
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 107
self to be led by him. This is also given to
all who have been regenerated in Christ,
and who shall persevere in faith, hope, and
charity. St. Peter also, in his first Epistle,
promises to the regenerated/ " an inheri
tance incorruptible and undefiled, that can
not fade, reserved in heaven." In fine, St.
John in his Epistle says to all the Just,
without exception : " Behold, what manner
of charity the Father hath bestowed upon
us, that we should be called, and should be
the sons of God." (chap, iii.)
Justly, therefore, is the habitation of the
blessed called a House^and not merely a
city and kingdom, wherein all are sons and
heirs of our great King, and all beloved by
Him as his sons, and by Christ as his
brothers: with reason may they exclaim
with the prophet: " How good and pleasant
is it, for brethren to dwell ^ together in
unity." What greater happiness can be
conceived, than to converse with innu
merable angels, to be loved by them with a
most sincere love, to be treated as a
brother, to be embraced as a brother !
CHAPTER II.
THE MAGNITUDE AND BEAUTY OF THE HOUSE OF GOD.
ANOTHER reason may be assigned, why
the habitation of the saints is called a
108 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
House, because it has especially if the
abode of royalty ornaments, consisting of
halls, chanibers, and other apartments,
which a city does not possess. For who
can number the carpets, tapestry, pictures,
precious vests, and gold and silver vessels
which adorn the palaces of kings? And
not only the interior decorations are of a
great value, but the building itself also is
admirable, on account of the precious mar
ble, the pillars, the gilded or painted courts,
the hanging gardens, and other things
which it would be too long to enumerate.
After Solomon, king of Jerusalem, had
built a temple to the Lord of suitable mag
nificence, he also erected a palace for him
self of such extent, that the building thereof
took thirteen years; though at the same
time he employed many men, and had at
hand an abundance of precious stones and
cedar- wood. With the same expense and
industry, he built a palace for his wife, the
daughter of the king of Egypt, and the
house " of the forest of Libanus," of which
a description is given in the third Book of
Kings: and so sumptuous was it, that it
seems incredible. Wherefore, when the
sacred Scripture calls that the House/
which before it had called the city of God,
the meaning is, that both the city and the
kingdom shine as resplendent as a royal
palace doth shine. For the prophet Ba-
ruch hath told us, " the house of God is so
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 109
great/ that it occupies the whole extent of
the kingdom of God.
If a whole kingdom possessed as much
magnificence as its chief city, this would
indeed excite our admiration. Who will
not therefore be astonished, when he recol
lects that the kingdom of heaven is called
the House of God/ because all the beauty
and value of its ornaments are the same, as
the house of God itself? Justly doth the
prophet David exclaim : " My soul longeth
and fainteth for the courts of the Lord."
(Psalm Ixxxiii.) Who will not then desire
with his whole heart, to see and to possess
this royal and most noble palace, which
equals in its extent a whole kingdom?
And, on the other hand, to see and to pos
sess this boundless kingdom, which equals
any royal palace in beauty and magnifi
cence ? But not only would our souls de
sire such a house and such a kingdom,
were it attentively to consider, and faith
fully believe these words ; but it would even
be quite ravished by the consideration of
the beauty and magnitude thereof. But
alas ! being solicitous for earthly goods, we
deem those objects alone great, which we
see on earth, and therefore we think not of
invisible things : we act just as children do,
who never having left their father s house,
love it beyond all others, and never think
of the palaces of kings ; or like rustics who
have never visited any great city, they are
solicitous only about the cultivation of the
j 1 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
fields, about the repair of their thatched
cottages : but no cares ever disturb them
about palaces, towers, forums, theatres,
honours, dignities, riches, or splendid ban
quets. And, perchance, these rustics and
children are more happy than rich citizens
and great princes, because those things
which appear grand, bring with them more
trouble and danger than solid utility and
dignity. But the good things in the hea
venly House of God our Father, are both
truly great and cause no trouble unto us,
nor danger: they will free us from every
evil, not for a time only, but for ever and
ever.
Wherefore, St. Paul saith, who was
neither a child nor a rustic, who had known
the goods of this world, being a most learned
man, and intimate with the Wise; who had
been in the house of God, and had visited
the heavenly city, being rapt into paradise
and the third heaven he saith of himself:
* While we look not at the things which
are seen, but at the things which are not
seen. For the things which are seen are
temporal; but the things which are not
seen, are eternal;" and again: " Our con
versation is in heaven Seek the things
that are above, where Christ is sitting at
the right hand of God. ^ Mind the things
that are above, not the things that are upon
the earth. :
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. Ill
CHAPTER III.
THE CHAMBERS IX THE HOUSE OF GOD.
THERE is another reason why the king
dom of heaven is called the house of the
Lord: it is derived from these words of
our Master, " In my Father s house there
are many mansions." In earthly dwellings
there are dining-rooms, couches to sleep
on, and halls or courts for various purposes,
which cannot be performed outside the house.
Now in the house of the Lord there are
many chambers, wherein all the saints not
only feast on royal banquets, but what is
most wonderful, and not possible to be cre
dited, had not the Holy Spirit revealed it
to us, the King himself ministers unto
them, being girded ! Thus our Lord speaks
in St. Luke : " Blessed are those servants,
whom when the Lord cometh he shall find
watching. Amen I say to you, that he will
gird himself, and make them sit down to
meat, and passing will minister unto them."
(chap. xii. 37.) What a banquet is this, I
ask thee ! Who ever heard of such a
feast? The Lord stands, the servant re
clines ; the Lord is girded, that He may
" minister" without impediment, the ser
vant is ungirded, that he may recline more
freely ; the Lord passeth bringing food, the
servant eateth with pleasure the royal food !
112 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
O ! did we but consider and understand
these things, how insignificant would all
earthly pleasures become ! Our Lord on
one occasion girded himself with a towel,
that he might wash the feet of his disciples.
But Peter was astonished, and could not
endure to see his Lord wash the feet of ser
vants. -And with reason was Peter thus
astonished, because he beheld majesty
humbling itself to give an example of humi
lity. ^ But in our celestial house, this
ministering of the Lord is not an humi
liation, but a favour; for the servants of
God in heaven, where the proud will not
enter, stand not in need of an example of
humility, for all are confirmed and made
perfect in every kind of virtue. Wherefore
the ( girding of the Lord signifies, that He
will as freely and as readily be a Lord unto
each ^one of his servants, by loading and re
freshing them with every blessing, as if He
had nothing else to do, and were alone with
each one of them !
O Christian soul! what doth this mean?
Would that thou wert wise, and couldst
understand with what honour and joy the
Lord will fill his servant for ever ! If these
truths could descend deeply into thy heart,
truly thou wouldst become fervent in spirit;
and with thy loins girt, thou wouldst joy
fully devote thy whole being to the service
of so sweet a Lord. And if any one of
his poor brethren met thee, not only wouldst
thou not despise him, or look angrily at
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 113
him ; but with the bowels of charity en
larged, thou wouldst relieve him and nou
rish him, mindful of these words : " Amen
I say to you, as long as you did it to one of
these my least brethren, you did it to me."
(St. Matthew, xxv. 40.) Where it is said,
He will make them sit down to meat/ sig
nifies, that the blessed being now admitted
into their Father s house, can sit down
without the least danger or solicitude, and
enjoy all the good things with which the
house of the Lord is filled. From hence
forth, no one will be able, either by force or
by fraud, to hinder them or forbid them
enjoying every good most freely. Lastly,
where it is said that, "passing he will min
ister unto them," this signifies, there is
a special banquet for the saints in the Lord
himself, for he is the bread of life ; he is the
fountain of wisdom ; he is a hidden manna,
which no one knoweth of but he that re-
ceiveth. Wherefore, He passeth unto all,
he giveth unto all ineffable banquets, that
satiate without loathsomeness, and fill with
out satiety.
CHAPTER IV.
ON THE COUCHES IN THE HOUSE OF GOD.
LET us now pass from the chambers to
the couches. " The saints shall rejoice in
glory," saith David, "they shall be joyful
114 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
in their beds." (Psalm cxlix.) These
"beds" signify nothing more, than the
eternal rest of the saints, and that " sleep "
of which the prophet speaks in other places,
1 When he shall give sleep to his beloved ;
behold the inheritance of the Lord," &c.
And again, t( In peace in the self same I
will sleep, and I will rest." In fine, this is
that rest of which St. John makes men
tion; "Write, blessed are the dead who
die in the Lord. From henceforth now,
saith the Spirit, that they may rest from
their labours ; for their works follow them/
(Apocalypse, chap. xiv. 13.) Great is this
blessing, possessed only by the saints ; for
in this life no one is entirely free from
labour, and those who seem at rest, such as
nobles and rich men, are often oppressed
with the greater troubles. Not without
reason hath our Lord compared riches to
thorns, in the parable of the sower; and Job
saith ; " Man s life upon earth is a war
fare," and one of his companions : "Man is
born to labour and the bird to fly." But
Ecclesiasticus is the clearest of all on this
point : " Great labour is created for all
men, and a heavy yoke is upon the children
of Adam, from the day of their coming out
of their mother s womb, until the day of
their burial into the mother of all. Their
thoughts, and fears of the heart, their ima
gination of things to come, ^and the day of
their end : From him that sitteth on a glp-
.rious throne, unto him that is humbled in
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 115
earth and ashes. From him that weareth
purple and beareth the crown, even to him
that is covered with rough linen: wrath,
envy, trouble, unquietness, and the fear of
death, continual anger and strife." (chap,
xl.) Thus Ecclesiasticus most beautifully
teacheth us, that no mortal can enjoy rest
at any time. But I will briefly explain
these words, that all may understand how
great is the ( sleep/ that is, the rest of the
blessed. " Great labour is created for all
men, and a heavy yoke is upon the children
of Adam." Occupation is opposed to rest:
but because many are occupied in pleasant
things, in hunting, in games, in music, in
dancing, it is added " A heavy yoke," to
show us that he speaks of laborious and
troublesome labours with which no one is
pleased, and which all fly from. But these
troublesome labours are " created for all
men," that is, destined for men from their
creation, as their individual and insepara
ble companions. This Ecclesiasticus ex
plains, lest perhaps he might not be under
stood by some, " From the day of their
coming out of their mother s womb, until
the day of their burial in the mother of
all." Wherefore, oxen that sometimes
bear a heavy yoke, but rest at night, are
better off than man who is compelled to
carry his " heavy yoke " day and night.
He then briefly mentions a part of the
troublesome occupations, which like unto a
most heavy yoke, press upon the neck of
116 THIS KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
mortals. " Their thoughts and fears of the
heart, their imagination of things to come,
and the day of their end." The first por
tion of their labour is the thought of the
future, for they are always solicitous about
to-morrow, saying within themselves,
What will happen after this? Shall we
lose the little we possess 1" From this soli
citude proceeds a continual fear, which
does^ not suffer man to be at rest. This
solicitude, with its offspring, which is fear,
is two- fold: one which the mind imagines
to itself; the other which is certain, and
which one can avoid. Of the first Ecclesi-
asticus speaks, Their imagination of
things to come :" of the latter, " The day
of their end." Men imagine, that is, re
present to themselves various future con
tingencies, which no less disturb them than
if they were certainly to happen. But the
thought and fear of death especially
frightens them, which is called " the day of
their end :" all await this with so much ter
ror, that St. Paul in his Epistle to the He
brews, calls it a continual " servitude :" for
the expectation of death can embitter all
the pleasures of life. Lastly, Ecclesiasticus
adds, that this laborious occupation is so
common to all the sons of Adam as to be
long to all men, from the first unto the last;
"from him that sitteth on a glorious throne,
that weareth purple and beareth the crown,
unto him that is humbled in earth and
ashes." Thus all men, since the. sin of
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 117
Adam, are more miserable even than the
beasts of the field: for these live without
fear, and are not solicitous for to-morrow,
neither do they remember past labours, nor
are they disturbed by the imagination of
things to come/ And therefore hath Eccle-
siasticus said, that this yoke is upon " all
the children of Adam," in order that he
might both exclude the beasts of the field,
and show us that the cause of all this
misery, was the sin of our first parent.
But the lot of those who aspire not after
their heavenly home is the most miserable
of all, because, after having carried a heavy
yoke in this life, they will be forced to bear
a still more heavy one in hell. In this
world our troubles are often united with
some consolations ; but in hell there will be
labour and sorrow, without rest or consola
tion : for, in the blessed House of God alone
can there be rest without labour, and con
solation without sorrow. With reason doth
the prophet say: " The saints shall rejoice
in glory : they shall be joyful in their
beds." (Psalm cxlix.) They rest not as
those that sleep, who do not feel their rest,
but they rest with great* joy/ knowing
and feeling with eternal gratitude their
most happy rest, free from labour, pain, fear,
and trouble. Truly, if there were nothing
else in the House of the Lord but this eter
nal rest, would it not be worthy of being
purchased by all the sorrows and labours of
this life ? and if in hell there were no other
118 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
torment but an everlasting want of rest,
would it not be worthy of being redeemed by
the daily prayers and tears of a whole life ?
As it will be consoling to the saints to be
hold, at their departure from this world, the
end of all their labours and sorrows, so,
likewise, will it be bitter for the wicked to
reflect, at their death, that henceforth
they can hope for no rest from their sor
rows.
Death is- said to be the chief of all terrible
things ; and yet, because it appears to bring
some rest, therefore most miserable are
they who shall descend into hell, for "They
shall seek death, and shall not find it : and
they shall desire to die, and death shall fly
from them/ (Apocalypse ix. 6.) Where
fore, the being deprived of all rest will be
a more grievous evil than even death itself.
And yet, so great is the blindness of men,
that they think nothing of losing eternal
rest, and of descending into that pit wherein
their^ torments will never admit of con
solation.
CHAPTER V.
ON THE COURTS OF THE HOUSE OF GOD.
IN earthly houses certain places are set
apart for various purposes. But, in the
courts of the blessed, all are occupied in one
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 119
occupation alone, the praise of their great
King. Here, in this world, some are occu
pied in gaming money, in acquiring digni
ties, in acquiring knowledge, either to teach
or to learn; whilst others devote themselves
to mechanical arts, in order to provide the
necessaries of life. But amongst the living,
immortal inhabitants of heaven there will
be no wants, no ignorance, no necessity, no
ambition: all being content with their state,
neither desire nor require anything more -
they are entirely devoted to the enjoyment,
love, and praise of their " chief Good."
But some one may say, that the duty of
praising God in psalms and hymns, and
especially in reciting the canonical hours, is
laborious and tiresome; and some there
are who even consider it a heavy burden
imposed upon them to spend so much time
in singing in the Churches, and in praising
God. To whom we answer, that "praising"
God in this life is a meritorious act, but in
the next it will be a reward. Hence it is,
that what may be to many laborious here, in
heaven will be a sweet occupation to all the
saints. Now, we read and sing many
things which we do not understand, whilst
we labour much in driving away vain
thoughts, which are like so many trouble
some flies. Moreover, our body, which is
mortal, cannot for any long space of time
attend to the functions of the mind without
being fatigued. But, in our blessed^ coun
try, the body will be immortal and impas-
120 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
sible ; vain thoughts will depart ; we shall
most perfectly understand what we sing ;
and, what is the greatest of all, the divine
(i praise" will be nothing more than the
exercise of our happiness. Wherefore, if
eternal happiness will not be troublesome,
neither can the eternal praising of God be.
That the praising of God is an exercise of
beatitude, the prophet teachethus : "Bless
ed are they that dwell in thy house, O
Lord : they shall praise thee for ever and
ever/ (Psalm Ixxxiii.) As beatitude con
sists in always loving and beholding the
" chief Good/ so the exercise of beatitude
consists in always admiring and praising
God; and as no one will be wearied in
loving Him, so no one will be wearied in
praising Him. And again: we shall not
only not grow weary in seeing and loving
God, but we shall never be tired in seeing
and praising the works of God, which will
always be before us, showing forth His won
derful beauty, Nor can we praise the
beautiful works of God without our praising
the Author of them at the same time, for
they will ever cry out unto us : " He made
us, and not we ourselves." In fine, as we
can never forget the benefits with which
God hath loaded us, so we cannot but
exult with the most grateful hearts in the
praises of our most bountiful Benefactor.
Let us then conclude with St. Augustine,
and say: "What else could be done, where
neither any sloth will be admitted, nor any
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 121
want shall laoour ? God Himself will be
the end of our desires : He will be seen
without end, loved without weariness,
praised without fatigue. This gift, this
love, this exercise, will be truly shared by
all, as eternal life itself will be common to
all. There we shall rest and see : we shall
see and love : we shall love and praise.
Behold, what will be in the end without
end. What other end have we than to
arrive at that kingdom which hath no
end?"*
CHAPTER VI.
ON THE FIRST GATE OF THE HOUSE OF GOD, WHICH
IS FAITH.
HAVING explained these points, it now
remains for us to consider what is the gate
by which we shall be enabled to enter that
most blessed House. But our Lord Him
self, in the Gospel, not only makes mention
of the gate, but also tells us that it is very
narrow, for, being asked, " Lord, are they
few that are saved?" He answered: "Strive
to enter by the narrow gate, for many, I say
to you, shall seek to enter, and shall not be
able. But when the Master of the House
shall be gone in, and shall shut the door,
you shall begin to stand without, and knock
* Do Civitate Dei, cap. 30.
122 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
at the door, saying : Lord, open to us. And
He shall say to you : I know not whence
you are : depart from me, all ye workers of
iniquity." (St. Luke, chap, xiii.) Thus our
Lord plainly teaches us, that the "gate" of
the house of God, which is in heaven, is
very narrow, although the House itself is
most extensive; and that, because it is
narrow, many will not enter therein who
otherwise would ; that they indeed desire to
enter, but will not strive for it, nor be will
ing to suffer any violence.
But we will explain how it is that the
gate of this most extensive House is narrow.
The gate has four divisions the threshold,
the inner court, and two side passages
that is, four stones: one below, another
above, and two at the sides ; which, in our
gate, are four virtues, essentially necessary
in order to enter the heavenly house. These
are faith, hope, charity, and humility.
Faith and hope are the two lateral stones,
charity is the inner court, humility is the
threshold on which we walk. But all these
stones that is, all these virtues have their
length and breadth so small, that in them
selves they are narrow, and, accordingly,
they make the gate very narrow.
Let us begin with faith. True Christian
faith is so narrow that, unless the mind do
violence to itself, and suffer itself to be re
duced as it were into captivity, to be bound
and trampled upon, no one can enter by it.
This is what St. Paul means in his Second
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 123
Epistle to the Corinthians : "Bringing into
captivity every understanding unto the
obedience of Christ." (chap, x.) The Chris
tian faith proposes many things to be be
lieved, which are so beyond all understand
ing that it is most difficult to give our con
sent to them ; and yet are we commanded
to believe them so firmly that we should be
prepared (if necessary) to die a thousand
times rather than deny one article of faith.
This is a difficult duty, and 110 wonder so
few comply with it. This is the reason why
so many go over to Mahometanism and
other heresies, because they cannot bear
the strictness of faith, but have made the
gate very wide, which nevertheless leads,
not to life, but to destruction, according to
the words of our Lord in St. Matthew :
Wide is the gate, and broad is the way
that leadeth to destruction, and many there
are who go in thereat. 7 (chap, vii.) Every
one naturally desires knowledge, but all do
not readily assent to a proposition, unless it
be demonstrated, or a probable reason for
it be given. St. Paul, the Apostle, expe
rienced this; for, although he eloquently
preached from an infused and acquired
learning, and by the gift of tongues, yet
when he spoke of the Resurrection of the
dead many laughed at him, and. others said,
" What is it that this word-sower would
say?" And when he preached " Christ
crucified," it appeared foolishness to the
Gentiles, and to the Jews a stumbling-
124 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
block, as he mentions in his First Epistle
to the Corinthians. Hence, the ancient
heretics, in order to Widen the narrow gate,
invented various errors. Some denied the
mystery of the Trinity, as the Sabellians
and Arians ; others the mystery of the
Incarnation, as the Nestorians and Euty-
chians; others the Resurrection of the dead,
as the Origenists, &c. But all these gates
(besides many more) being built by human
architects, and wanting a solid foundation,
fell in a short time, so that now we scarcely
know their names : and these even would
not have reached us, had we not read them
in the works of those who exposed them, as
St. Irenseus, Philaster, St. Epiphanius, St.
Augustine, Theodoret, &c. The Maho
metans, whose sect is now so widely extend
ed, have cast away nearly all the most dif
ficult points in the Christian faith the
blessed Trinity, the Incarnation of the
divine Word, the death and resurrection of
the Son of God, the sacrament of Penance,
and the holy Eucharist. These being thus
cast aside, the gate is widened to admit an
innumerable multitude.
But the heretics of our own time have
endeavoured to enter by another way, for
they have taken away those narrow barriers
which relate not so much to the understand
ing as to action. The Christian faith
teaches that all sins are to be avoided ; that
we shall have to give an account even of
every idle word ; that if we fall into mortal
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 125
sin, we must confess it to a priest, and blot
it out by serious contrition and^satisfaction;
that good works, though laborious and dif
ficult, are to be performed if prescribed by
our superiors ; that the kingdom of heaven
can be acquired by good works, as a crown
of justice, and a reward of labour; that
" celibacy" is to be observed by priests;
that monks and nuns are obliged to keep
their vows. These and other points, which
make the gate narrow, the heretics have
so taken away as to make it very wide.
For they assert, that " faith alone is neces
sary for salvation, so that a Christian could
not perish, though denied with every sin,
provided only he believed ; that there is
no need of confessing our sins to a priest,
but only to ,God; that contrition is not
required, a certain terror of the mind being
sufficient ; that works of penance and satis
faction are not necessary ; that a priest is
at liberty to marry, and monks and nuns to
Violate their vows ; that superiors cannot
oblige the faithful to perform good works,
&c. These and other doctrines of faith
being taken away, the heretics made the
gate of salvation very wide for themselves :
but they opened a way that leadeth to de
struction, and through it they brought to
perdition, together with themselves, an
immense multitude of foolish men.^ But
neither do all Catholics keep within the
narrow boundaries of faith, for, although
they believe what their faith teaches them,
126 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
yet^because they live differently from what
their faith commands, they are proved to be
in the number of those of whom St. Paul
speaks where he says: " They profess that
they know God, but in their works they
deny him." Thus, these likewise enter in
at the wide gate that leads to destruction.
Wherefore, with regard to faith, when our
Lord was asked, " If they are few who are
saved ? " we answer, few there are ; and
hence all must strive to enter in at the
narrow gate.
CHAPTER VII.
ON HOPE, WHICH IS THE SECOND GATE OF THE HOUSE
OF GOD.
HOPE likewise has its difficulties, whether
we consider the greatness of the reward
promised, or our own weakness and nothing
ness. If an ignorant rustic, without expe-
rience^were commanded to hope that in a
short time he should possess the wisdom of
Solomon, or that of Plato and Aristotle,
and at the same time the kingdom of Alex
ander the Great or of Augustus how, I
ask, could such an humble individual be
persuaded to hope for such great things? But
this is much more easy than that a mortal
man could hope to possess the wisdom and
power of the angels in heaven, who are pure
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 127
intelligences. For this rustic, and Alex
ander, and Aristotle, were of the same
nature, and alike mortal ; and the wisdom
of Aristotle did not exceed all human wis
dom, neither did the empire of Alexander
occupy a third part of the globe. But Chris
tians are commanded to hope for an equality
with the angels, according to the words of
our Lord : " But they that shall be account
ed worthy of that world, and of the resur
rection of the dead, shall neither be married
nor take wives. Neither can they die any
more: for they are equal to the ^ angels,
and are the children of God, being the
children of the resurrection/ (St. Matthew,
chap. xx. 38.) Again : if a man that crawls
upon the ground were commanded to hope
that in a short time he would fly through
the air, or subsist in the water for some
time, and go here and there, how could he
be induced to believe these things? And
yet large birds, as cranes and storks, fly
through the air as swiftly as eagles ; and
large ships, heavy laden, sail up and down
the waters just as the pilot directs them.
But Christians are without doubt com
manded to hope, that with their bodies they
will one day ascend above the heavens;
and that from heaven to earth they can
descend without the least danger of falling,
and contend with the sun itself in its course
from east to west, with the certain hope of
victory. In line, if some poor orphan were
commanded to hope that he would be adopt-
128 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
ed as a son by a great king unknown to
him, truly it would take much labour to
induce him to think this could be possible ;
and yet both are men, children of the earth,
and doomed to die. But Christian hope
teaches us, that every one, provided he be
baptized in Christ, and observe his com
mandments, will have the spirit of adop
tion" from God, will be truly chosen His
son, and made heir of all things which God
Himself possesseth co-heir with Christ,
who is His natural and only Son, and
whom the Father hath appointed Heir of all
things.
If these great and sublime hopes were
entertained by Christians as they should
be, they would certainly make them fear
less as lions, so that no dangers or terrors
could conquer them ; and they would ex
claim with the prophet: " The Lord is my
keeper: I will not fear what man can do
unto me If armies in camp should
stand together against me, my heart shall
not fear ;" and with the apostle: "I can do
all things in Him who strengtheneth me;"
and again : " If God be for us, who shall be
against us ?" But few there are who hope
for such aid as they ought ; whilst many are
found who do not look even for temporal
blessings from God, but trust more to their
own cunning, to theft and lies, than in the
aid of the Most High. Our Lord Himself,
in St. Matthew and St. Luke, admonishes
the faithful by most beautiful parables, not
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 129
to be too solicitous about food and raiment,
because our heavenly Father, who nourishes
the birds that neither sow nor reap, and
clothes the lilies of the field that neither
labour nor spin, will much more take care
of His children for whom He intends an
eternal kingdom: but yet, so little confi
dence have many people in God, that often
in their troubles they rather have recourse
either to human fraud or diabolical arts,
than to the Almighty. Wherefore, if these
dp not hope to receive from God what He
gives to the birds of the air, and the lilies
of the field, and which He hath, promised
to give them if they trust in Him, this is a
great proof that their hope is not of that
character which belongs to the sons of God,
who hope to receive a share in His eternal
kingdom. And since no one can attain
salvation without a certain and living hope,
which is a part of the gate of the heavenly
" House/ therefore few are they that are
saved.
There are also other and greater difficul
ties in the virtue of hope. It commands us
to despise present things, which are seen,
and to hope for future goods, which are not
seen ; to give alms to the poor, that, being
multiplied, they may be returned to us in
heaven, though no one here can see them,
or conceive what we shall there receive, if
we sow them on earth. A rustic can
indeed be easily persuaded to sow his seed
in the ground, because the experience of
9
130 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
many years teaches him that what is sown
with labour will be reaped with joy. But
no experience teaches us that what is
given to the poor will be received back
again with interest in heaven. Therefore,
it Appears difficult to men to lose present
things, which are seen, and to hope for
future blessings, which are not seen.
Lastly, it is an evident proof that a firm
confidence in God is a very narrow gate, to
behold such a great number that weep,
lament, murmur, blaspheme, and despair.
Those who confide in God, He either takes
away from them their afflictions, or gives
them patience, united with such great con
solation, as to enable them to exclaim wkh
the Apostle : "I am filled with consolation,
I superabound with joy in all my tribula
tions." They, therefore, that immode
rately weep^ and lament in their troubles,
prove as St. Basil shows in his Explana
tion of the 45th Psalm that they may ex
claim in words : " The Lord is our refuge
and our strength ;" but that few truly and
earnestly say so in their hearts.
CHAPTER VIII.
ON CHARITY, WHICH IS THE THIRD GATE.
LET us now speak of charity, which is
the court of the heavenly gate. Charity is
the queen of virtues, and on one side seems
ETERNAL HAPFINESS OF THE SAINTS. 131
boundless, because it extends to God, to
the angels, to men even those who may
be unknown to us, and our enemies ; but,
on the other side it is made " narrow," on
account of the incredible difficulties it
brings along with it, since its precepts are
to be observed, not only in word and in
tongue, but "in deed and in truth." For
what, I ask, doth this queen command ?
First, that we love God " with our whole
heart, with our whole soul, with our whole
strength." We are reduced to great diffi
culties when we endeavour to fulfil these
commands. For, to love God with our
whole heart and strength, what else is it
but a true and earnest love ? " With our
whole heart and soul" signifies, that our
love must be real, not feigned ; not in word
and in tongue, as St. James saith, but in
word and in deed. With our whole
strength" signifies, that our love of God
ought to be supreme. The force of the
precept, therefore, consists in loving God
with a true and perfect love, so that we
should prefer nothing before Him, but be
prepared with the patriarch Abraham, if
the glory of God required it, to sacrifice our
only begotten and most beloved son. And
not this merely; but also, as our Lord com
mands us in the Gospel, to hate father and
mother, wife and children, brothers and
sisters, even our own soul, and to renounce
all that we possess : that is, we should be
ready to be deprived of all these things with
132 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
such promptitude as we should have, if we
hated them in reality. This is truly a
severe command, and who can understand
it? But how easily will men be found,
and these not a few, who would rather re
nounce God and his promises than their
riches and temporal honours, and much less
their life or that of their sons ! St. Cyprian,
in his Treatise on the " Lapsed/ beareth
testimony, that in the primitive Church,
when the fire of charity was much more
ardent than now, there were many deser
ters, who preferred their riches and their
lives before God; and Eusebius, in his
Ecclesiastical History, testifies the same.
But what shall we say of charity towards
our neighbours ? What doth charity com
mand us to do with regard to our neigh
bours ? That we love them as we love
ourselves ; and that what we wish to be
done to ourselves, we do to our neighbours
also. Who therefore is there, being much
in need, would not wish the rich to give
him something out of their superabundance?
Neither would he consider it as an excuse,
if the rich man answered, " That he was
encumbered with debt, that he had pur
chased a villa at an enormous sum, that
he was building a sumptuous palace, or, at
least, adorning it with precious marble."
But these were perhaps not necessary, and
therefore charity does not allow our indigent
neighbours to be deprived of subsistence.
On this point I beseech the reader to con-
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 133
suit St. Basil in his ( Sermon" to the
rich ; and also St. Bernard on the words :
"Behold, we have left all things." He will
see, and be terrified at the danger of those
who do not think they will have to render
an account to God of their riches, but live
according to their own pleasure, not accord
ing to the will of God, and in charity
towards their neighbours. If we shall have
to give an account of "every idle word,"
much more shall we of money ill-spent.
But let us hear St. John the apostle, and
from him learn how extensive is the duty of
charity. He saith : "In this we have known
the charity of God, because He hath laid
clown His life for us: and we ought to lay
down our lives for the brethren." (1 Epist.
chap. iii. 16.) Christ laid down His life for
His servants : can it, therefore, be a great
thing if we lay down our life for our bre
thren ? The apostle does not say we can,
but " we ought to lay down our life for the
brethren;" neither did he say, I think, I
advise, but absolutely, "We ought." And
if we ought to give our life, why not our
riches much more ? Wherefore, St. Gre
gory justly concludes : " Since our soul, by
which we live, is incomparably superior to
our earthly substance, which we possess,
who will not give his substance when he
ought to lay down his life?" The same
may be said on other points ; for he who
ought to lay down his life for the brethren,
ought much more to pardon an injury or
134 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
an affront. And ought he not also to be
on his guard, lest he injure his brother in
word or in deed ? But, because this pre
cept of charity towards God and our neigh
bour is so difficult that few comply with it ;
therefore, when our Lord was asked, " If
feware^saved," with reason did He answer,
"Few:" we must then endeavour, with our
whole strength, to enter with the few the
narrow gate.
CHAPTER IX.
OX HUMILITY, WHICH IS THE FOURTH GATE.
THERE now remaineth humility, which
also hath its difficulties, and these not a
few. What doth our Master command,
who hath most truly said of Himself:
* Learn of me, because I am meek and
humble of heart Go, sit down in the
last place?" When He came into this
world, he was born in a stable, and died on
a cross. Truly, no one, when born, could
have found a more lowly place ; nor, dying,
a more disgraceful one. And whilst He
lived, He was poorer, not only than men,
but even than the beasts of the field : for
tne foxes had holes, and the birds of the
air their nests, " but the Son of man had
nowhere to lay His head." But what
means, " Sit down in the last place?" This
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 135
is the meaning: wherever thou art, how
ever great thou mayest be, always consider
thyself worthy of the last place. St. Paul,
in his Epistle to the Galatians, gives a
reason for this where he says : "If any man
think himself to be something, whereas he
is nothing, he deceiveth himself." (ch. vi. 3.)
He did not say, he who thinks himself
to be great, or superior to others, either in
wisdom, or power, or virtue; neither did he
bay, if any one think himself not to be
great, or superior to others, but only equal
to them ; he said, " If any man think him
self to be something." In fine, he did not
say, since he is poor, or unlearned, or igno
ble, but, "Whereas he is nothing." Thus
the apostle could not descend lower, in
order to designate the " lowest place," and
to give a worthy explanation of the words
of our Lord. But it may be said, it is
necessary that men should be in high sta
tions such as, prelates, princes, kings,
emperors, and pontiffs. Be it so : but yet
each one ought to sit down in the lowest
place, until the Lord shall say, " Ascend
higher." Of this St. Augustine gives us
an illustrious example, which I will men
tion in his own words: "From these that
love the world I have separated myself:
with those who govern the people I have
not considered myself equal, nor at the
banquet have I chosen the highest place,
but the lower : but the Lord said unto me,
* Ascend higher/ But so much did I fear
136 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
the episcopacy, that I would not have
approached it, since amongst men the fame
of a certain name had spread ; and in this
place I knew there was no bishop. I was
on my guard, and endeavoured, as far as
possible, to be saved in an humble situa
tion, not to be in danger in a high one.
But, as I have said, the servant ought not
to contradict his Lord."" Oh, that all
men would imitate such an example ! we
should then have many good prelates, many
good princes, many excellent magistrates.
But, because many push themselves for
ward, not waiting for a vocation from the
Lord, the Almighty is oftentimes angry;
and for an example to others, He compels
many to sit down in the lowest place, that
all may learn how honours and riches, as
well as spiritual blessings, depend on Him
alone. Hence, we frequently see very rich
men reduced in a short time to extreme
poverty, and great princes cast down from
their thrones. ^
But it is not sufficient to wait for a voca
tion from God ; but we ought also, in the
prelacy or sovereignty, not to be overwise,
but, according to the advice of the Wise
man, the more we are elevated, the more
humble should we be unto all : not in de
meanour, but in heart, as St. Gregory
teacheth in his pastoral, and St. Augustine
more clearly in his 109th Epistle : " Let
* " De Vita Clericonun."
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 137
your dignity/ he saith, "be honourable
before men ; but, before God, place it
under your feet." Each one ought to
think others better, and therefore higher
than himself. For he is properly and truly
the greatest, who is the greatest in the
sight of God ; and he is the greatest who is
the best ; and he is the best who excels in
virtue, whatever may be his dignity, riches,
titles, &c. Virtue alone makes a man good,
not dignity, riches, or titles ; and if virtues
make a man good, greater virtues make
him better, and the greatest make him the
best. And they who possess virtue in a
higher degree excel all others. Now, we
may know that humility is one of _ these
great virtues, because our Lord Himself
says : "He that shall humble himself shall
be exalted," which words the blessed Vir
gin follows in the Canticle : "He hath scat
tered the proud in the conceit of their heart,
and hath exalted the humble." And St.
Peter saith: " Be you humbled, therefore,
under the mighty hand of God, that He
may exalt you in the time of visitation;"
and St. James: " Be humbled in the sight
of the Lord, and He will exalt you." In
fine, St. Paul says of Christ : "He hum
bled Himself, and therefore hath God
exalted Him."
Since, therefore, these virtues, and espe
cially those of charity and humility, make
men good before God ; and since again, no
one truly knows what he is in the sight of
138 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR TH"3
the Almighty, or what others are or will be
therefore, it is dangerous to prefer our
selves to others, but most useful to humble
ourselves before all men. Wherefore, our
Lord absolutely saith : "Sit down in the
lowest place." But how many comply with
this divine precept? For what do men
contend more than for precedence ? What
labours do those endure who endeavour to
reconcile men that quarrel about a point of
honour ! How many do we often hear using
these words of Scripture, " I will not give
my honour to another ?" And yet the
Most High speaks thus in Isaiah, to whom
alone such words belong. God alone ought
not to be humble, since humility is the vir
tue that restrains a man from desiring to
ascend above himself, but since God
dwelleth in the highest heaven, nothing can
be above Him. Wherefore, pride is intole
rable, because a worm of the earth dares to
say, "I will not give my glory unto ano
ther/
And yet, these same worms whom pride
so swells that they say with God, " I will
not give my glory to another," humble
themselves as to acknowledge they are
the slaves of honour that is, of a false
esteem. And so faithfully do these serve
their master, honour, that they rather pre
fer to be cruelly slain in single combat, and
to descend into hell, (and thus lose eternal
life, and their temporal one at the same
time,) than suffer any affront to be given to
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 139
the idol of their honour. vanity of
vanities ! Oh, how much doth this smoke
of honour blind the eyes of the soul ! And
yet we call ourselves Christians, and know
that Christ heard from His enemies : " Be
hold a man that is a glutton and a wine-
drinker Thou art a Samaritan, and
hast a devil He caste th out devils, by
Beelzebub, the prince of devils ;" and yet
no one heard Him exclaim, "Thou art a
liar; 3 but, because He was meek and hum
ble of heart, " When He was reviled, He
did not revile ; when He suffered, He
threatened not/ &c.
From these considerations, it is manifest
that the "gate" of life is narrow, both on
account of humility, as well as of the theo
logical virtues, faith, hope, and charity:
"Few" enter this gate; and therefore, when
the question is asked, " If few are- saved/
rnost truly must we answer, "Few;" be
cause few there are who endeavour, with
their whole strength, to enter in at this
narrow gate.
CHAPTER X.
MORE CONSIDERATIONS ON FAITH.
BUT lest we should seem, by too much
severity, to drive men away from entering
the gate, I will show (since in this book it
140 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OK THE
lias been our endeavour to inflame the
minds of the faithful with a desire of our
most delightful and happy country) that the
"gate/ which on one side appears most
narrow, on account of the perfection of vir
tue required; on the other is very wide and
easy to enter, by reason of the omnipotence,
truth, and mercy of God, if we be truly
desirous of entering it.
Let us begin again with faith. Faith
certainly proposes for our belief mysteries
most difficult, far above our reason and
understanding, and sublimely exalted even
above the natural capacity of the angels
themselves. But since the doctrine of faith
admonishes us, that these mysteries are to
be believed on the authority of God, who
cannot deceive, and not on that of angels,
or of men, then the bounds begin to be
enlarged. If faith said, " Believe in one
God, and three persons ; believe that the
Son of God was born of the blessed Virgin;
believe that Christ rose immortal from the
dead on the third day by His own power :
believe all these points most firmly because
SS. Peter, Paul, and John, Isaias, Jere-
mias, and Ezekiel, have said so/ I should
hesitate, not daring to believe men like
myself on such difficult subjects. It is said,
Every man is a liar ;" and therefore it is
that we require oaths and witnesses, before
we put our trust in men. But since faith
says, "All these things hath God revealed;
and neither Peter, nor Paul, nor John, nor
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 141
the other apostles and prophets, taught
them on their own authority, but learned
them from God ; and since they preached
His word, not their own, then my heart
enlargeth itself, and is prepared to believe.
And that it was God who spoke by the
apostles and prophets, hath been manifest
ed unto us by Him in so many signs and
wonders, that it would be foolish and rash
not to believe. Thus speaks the apostle to
the Hebrews: " Which having begun to be
declared by the Lord, was confirmed unto
us by them that heard Him. God also
bearing them witness by signs and wonders,
and divers miracles, and distributions of
the Holy Ghost according to His own will."
(chap, ii.) What God says, who will gain
say ? God cannot lie, for if He could, He
would not be God.
But these mysteries, which are proposed
to our belief, are above our reason. They
are : but they are not above the power and
wisdom of God. Therefore, saith St.
James, " God is greater than our heart;"
because He can do what we cannot under
stand, and His essence and existence are
more elevated than our mind can compre
hend. If an unlearned man easily believes the
many incredible things philosophers and
astronomers mention concerning the magni
tude of the sun and of the planets, why should
not man readily believe also whatever God
hath deigned to reveal, since there is an
infinite distance between the wisdom and
142 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
power of the one, and the small spark of
reason with which the other is endowed ?
They therefore, who consider these remarks,
will find no difficulty in believing what the
Church proposes.
CHAPTER XL
MORE CONSIDERATIONS ON HOPE.
WE may say the same of the virtue of
hope : for if what we hope to receive in the
life to come, were said to depend on the
promises of man, justly should we be reject
ed as vain impostors, because men can both
deceive, and are quite unable to give such
great rewards. But we say, they are not
to be hoped for from man, but from God,
who can neither lie, since He is truth, nor
deceive us, since He is goodness: nor is
anything impossible with Him, since He is
omnipotent. Wherefore, justly would that
rustic think himself mocked at, were any
one to promise him the wisdom of Solomon
or the power of Augustus, because he that
would promise such things would be a man,
deceitful and weak. But ought not a
Christian to hope, to whom God promises
eternal life, the kingdom of heaven, and a
paradise of every pleasure? Perhaps we
want pledge-s of this bountiful inten
tion of God. But, as a figure of present
things, did not God lead His people through
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 143
a dry path across the Red Sea ? Did He
not rain down upon them manna from hea
ven ? Did He not conduct them by Josue
into the promised land? ^ Should such a
remarkable figure be considered vain and
useless ? Moreover, if " (rod so loved the
world, as to give His only-begotten Son/
hath He not " with Him given us all
things?" That which we hope to receive
from God, is it not excelled by the " gift"
which He hath given to us, when we neither
hoped nor asked for it ? If He hath given
to sinners and to His enemies the death of
His Son, will He not give to the justified
and to His friends the life of the same
divine Son? But, not content with this,
the Holy Spirit is added as a pledge of
our inheritance. IJe crieth in our heart,
"Abba (Father) ; and giveth testimony to
pur spirit, that we are the sons of God ; and
if sons, heirs also heirs indeed of God, and
joint-heirs with Christ: yet so, if we suffer
with Him." (chap. viii. Epistle to the
Romans.)
Wherefore, if the magnitude of the
things promised seems beyond our hopes,
yet they cannot exceed the power of the
Promisor ; and since this power is infinite,
it can easily strengthen our hopes, that we
shall without doubt receive the promises.
And this promise God hath confirmed with
an oath, as the apostle proves in his Epistle
to the Hebrews : so that by two certain
things, .by the promise of Him who cannot
144 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
lie, joined to an oath, we can rest our hope,
as on a safe Anchor, of approaching even
within the veil where Jesus hath entered
for us, being a priest for ever according to
the order of Melchisedech.
CHAPTER XII.
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS ON CHARITY.
BUT what shall we say of chanty ? It is
very narrow, on account of the difficulty of
fulfilling its precepts ; but, because of the
divine goodness, to which it directs us, it
may be said to be very wide. For why
should it appear difficult to love God with
our whole heart, and. soul, and strength,
since He is most beautiful, most wise, and
most worthy of infinite love ? It is not dif
ficult to love that which is excellent and
beautiful on the earth ; but it is not to love.
Doth God, then, seem to do us an injury
when He so strictly commands us to love
Him, as if we were not bound to love Him
of our own accord ? We ardently love
what is beautiful in the world, because we
clearly see it, but " God no one hath ever
seen/ Thus we do not see God, but we
daily behold His works, which are so
beautiful, and of which the Wise man
speaks : "With whose beauty if they, being
deceived, took them to be Gods, let them
know how much the Lord of them is more
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 145
beautiful than they : for the first Author of
beauty made all these things." (ch. xiii. 3.)
We also experience His goodness in His
daily benefits to us; and we have Him
for a testimony who beholds us, and who
cannot deceive : viz. the Holy Spirit, who
speaks by the apostles and prophets in the
holy Scripture. God, therefore, is so good
and beautiful, that He alone deserves to be
called good and beautiful.
But you will say, it is hard that we
should, for the love of God, be sometimes
compelled to lose our property, friends, and
even life itself. I acknowledge that it is so
to those who love not God: but to those
who do love Him, and desire to possess
Him, I assert that it is very easy, especially
since, if we despise temporal goods for the
love of God, we shall possess those that are
incomparably superior to them. And what
are these ? You lose corruptible riches, but
you will acquire an eternal kingdom ; you
lose father, brothers, and friends, but you
will possess God for your father, Christ for
your brother, and all the angels and saints
for your friends and companions : you lose
a temporal life, full of misery, but you will
gain an eternal one, full of happiness. Hear
the Canticle of divine love : " If a man
should give all the substance of his house
for love, he shall despise it as nothing;"
and a little above : " Many waters cannot
quench charity, neither can the floods drown
it." Hear, again, a lover of God ; " Who
10
146 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
then shall separate us from the love of
Christ ? Shall tribulation ? or distress ? or
famine? or nakedness? or danger? or per
secution ? or the sword ? But in all these
things we overcome, because of Him that
hath loved us." (Epistle to the Romans,
chap. viii. 35.)
But so to love my neighbour as to share
my goods with him ; and, even though he
were my enemy and had grievously injured
me, I should be obliged not only to par
don him, but also to be kind towards him :
this seems to be against nature. It may be
against nature corrupted by sin, but not
against nature regenerated by the grace of
Christ. Does not God himself share His
blessings with His enemies, and daily par
don them, and return them good for evil ?
"He maketh His sun to rise upon the good
and the bad, and raineth upon the just and
the unjust." Now, if God thus acts towards
His enemies, it is not against the nature of
God, nor the nature of men created after
His image, to love his enemies, and do
them good. But it is opposite to the nature
of beasts, and of those, " who, when they
were in honour, did not understand; but
they are compared to senseless beasts, and
are become like to them."
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 147
CHAPTER XIII.
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS ON HUMILITY.
I NOW come to humility, which, like its
other sisters, is hard to be acquired by the
proud and the arrogant; but to those who
attend the School of Christ and wish to
learn of Him, it is very easy of attainment.
.And first, we should humble ourselves
- " under the powerful hand of God," as St.
Peter admonishes us, and his co-apostle
St. James confirms. But what difficulty
can there be, in a mortal man humbling
himself before his Immortal and Omnipo
tent God? Secondly, we should choose
the last place amongst men, because "each
one should esteem others better than them
selves/ as the apostle tells us in his Epistle
to the Philippians. They who know them
selves and are conscious of their own
infirmities, and know not those of their
neighbour, find no difficulty in esteeming
all others before themselves, and conceding
them a higher place. For as pride springs
from ignorance, so does humility from a
knowledge of one s-self. The heart of the
proud man easily sees the vices which
others have, because they are all outside
him ; but his own vices, often very numer
ous, he sees not, because they are within
him ; just as the eye does not behold what is
148 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
within, but only what is without. Of this
the Pharisee is an example for us, who
gave thanks to God, that he was not as the
rest of men a thief, unjust, an adulterer.
He did not observe these vices in himself;
but there were others concealed within ;
pride, blindness of soul, and impenitence
which he did not see ; therefore he preferred
himself to the publican praying in the same
temple. But the publican, who had better
eyes, saw his own faults, and not his vir
tues ; therefore he sat down in the lowest
place, and standing afar off, struck his
breast, imploring the mercy of God : by
His j udgment, the one went home justified;
the other condemned. Wherefore, if we
seriously endeavour to know ourselves, we
shall find no difficulty in entering the
"gate" of the House of the Lord.
But to all this we must add, that the
gate which appears so very narrow, and
almost impenetrable, to those who are
heavy and corpulent, or covered with many
garments, or that attempt to enter with an
erect body ; this same gate is broad and
wide to those who enter unencumbered,
naked, and lowly. Wherefore, we are to
blame, if we cannot easily enter at the same
gate, through which so many saints have
before us, without any difficulty or trouble.
Begin then, Christian soul, to cast aside
the burden of riches : remember that your
riches have been given you by God, as to a
steward, not as to a master, in order that
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 149
you should distribute them amongst the
poor, but not to hoard them up carefully
for yourself alone ; and thus your soul
being free from the love of riches, having
thrown aside as it were a great burthen,
will easily enter the " narrow gate." Cast
away also a love of carnal pleasures, or
rather cast out those noxious humours that
produce wind, and inflate the body. In
fine, reject the opinion of your own excel
lence ; put on the humility of Christ ; bow
down your neck to the obedience of His
commands, and then complain, if you
cannot easily enter in at the gate of sal
vation.
CHAPTER XIV.
THE NECESSITY OF ENTERING THIS GATE, HOWEVER
NARROW, IF WE WISH TO BE SAVED.
BUT whether this gate be broad or nar
row, we must necessarily strive to enter by
it : for after this life, which passeth as a
shadow, there is no other place where we
can well remain, except within this gate.
Therefore our Lord admonishes us, saying,
(l Strive ye to enter in at the narrow gate,"
because, as He adds in the same place,
those who remain without, will all be
banished to a place where there will be
eternal weeping and gnashing of teeth :
these signify the greatest torments with a
150 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
despair of any remedy ; and thence comes a
madness that impatiently endures what it
does not wish to endure, and will always be
compelled to endure. But how much bet
ter is it to strive to enter in at the narrow
gate, where rest and joy will be found, after
we have borne a little labour and sorrow ?
If indeed men could escape the narrowness
of the "gate, and the pains of hell at the
same time, perhaps their frailty might ex
cuse them from using violence to enter.
But since we are compelled, either to
labour here for a time by doing violence,
or to fall hereafter into eternal sorrows,
what judgment what reason can we have
that would induce us to avoid minor evils,
and so to find those that are intolerable
and most grievous ! But even if no evils
would follow after this life, but being de
prived of the House of God, where alone
are eternal joys, this ought to induce us
to strive to enter, not only through the nar
rowness of the gate, but through briars and
thorns, and fire and the sword. And though
during this life we cannot feel what a loss
it is to be deprived " of beatitude, yet after
the separation of the soul from the body,
the eyes of the mind will be opened and
will most clearly see what a loss, what an
infinite loss it is, not to have obtained the
end for which we were created. This
desire is signified by those words which
are mentioned in the Gospel, as being
used by those who shall remain outside :
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 151
" Lord, Lord, open unto us/ The desire
of their last end will ever torment these
wretched beings, and the remorse of con
science will never rest : thus the words
will be fulfilled, " Their worm will never
die, and their fire shall never be extin
guished."
Oh ! if we could now seriously think
with what ardour these men will then ex
claim, "Lord, Lord, open unto us:" as if
they said, we cannot live without entering
into the House of the Lord, and yet we
cannot die! Wherefore we exist not to live,
but to be for ever miserable. Wherefore
" open unto us," because we are prepared
to suffer every thing, provided only we can
enter. But He will answer : " I know you
not. The year of. jubilee has ended ;
when you could have entered, you would
not; now therefore it is but just, that when
you wish to enter, you cannot." Thus
though deprived of all hope, they will never
cease exclaiming, being impelled by a
natural desire, " Lord, Lord, open unto
us." But because in their lifetime they
were deaf to the exhortations of the Lord
crying out to them, " Strive ye to enter in
at the narrow gate," now the Lord will
turn a deaf ear to them exclaiming, " Lord,
Lord, open unto us." Wherefore, if we
be wise, let us now consult our own welfare
whilst we have time : let us do now, while
we are able, what we shall then wish to
have done, and shall not be able to do it.
152 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
THE
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS.
BOOK IY.
CHAPTER I.
TEUE JOY IS TO BE FOUND IN HEAVEN.
PARADISE is a name of pleasure and
delight, for it signifies a garden, or most
beautiful orchard, suitable both for recrea
tion and amusement. In the book of
Genesis this paradise of pleasure is not
once named, when the terrestrial paradise
is the subject of the discourse. But in
the prophet Ezechiel speaking of the hea
venly paradise, it is said of the chief angel
who afterward fell and became the devil :
Thou wast in the pleasures of the para
dise of God." But since the Holy Scrip
tures mention nothing of Paradise, but that
there were in it many trees and the foun
tain of living water, therefore it is my
intention under the word " Paradise," to
explain the joys and pleasures which the
blessed possess in heaven. And this will
be, unless I am deceived, a useful contem-
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 153
plation to excite our minds to seek and
reflect upon the things above : and thus so
to regulate our life, that when we depart
hence, it may not be to sorrow and dark
ness, but by the divine assistance, to Eter
nal light and happiness. All men, with
few exceptions, are influenced more by
pleasure, than by any thing else. And the
Church in one of her prayers says, " There
may our hearts be fixed, where our true joy
is." And first we shall consider what the
Holy Scripture says of the heavenly Para
dise, whence we shall prove that in it are
true joys; then we shall endeavour to ex
plain what these joys are : and lastly, by
various reasons, or rather comparisons, we
shall prove that these joys are far more ex
cellent than we can either comprehend, or
think, or even imagine.
First, then, the name of paradise signifies
pleasure and delight, as we have already
seen from the Book of Genesis. And that
there is a Paradise in heaven, Ezechiel tes
tifies. Our Lord also testifies in the gos
pel, when he said to the thief hanging by
him : " This day thou shalt be with me in
paradise/ He used the word paradise for
the kingdom of God, and its essential bea
titude : for the good thief had said, " Lord,
remember me when thou shalt come into
thy kingdom." St. Paul testifies in his
second Epistle to the Corinthians, where
he says, " I know a man in Christ Such
an one rapt even to the third heaven, and
154 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
was caught up into paradise." St. John
testifies in his Apocalypse, where he intro
duces the Lord thus speaking : " To him
that overcometh I will give to eat of the
tree of life, which is in the paradise of my
God." From these passages it is evident,
that the region of the " blessed " is a place
of happiness and delight. And when our
Lord says to the good and faithful servant,
"Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord/
does He not most clearly declare, that the
house or city of God is a place of joy, to
which good and faithful servants are admit
ted when they leave this world ? Our Lord
in many places compares the kingdom of
heaven to a supper, as we read in St. Luke,
where it is said : " A man made a great
supper," <fcc. And again, "I dispose to
you, as my Father hath disposed to me,
a kingdom : that you may eat and drink at
my table, in my kingdom." And when
likewise we are told in the Apocalypse,
" Blessed are they that are called to the
marriage supper of the Lamb." The Scrip
ture, by the figure of the supper, certainly
points out the pleasure and delight of the
heavenly paradise ; unless some one assert,
that there is no pleasure in the sense of
taste. In addition to these passages, the
kingdom of God both in the Gospels and
the Apocalypse is compared to royal nup
tials : as we learn from the parable ^ of the
king, who made a marriage for his son;
and from the parable of the wise and foolish
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS 155
virgins, of whom the wise went with the
bridegroom to the marriage; but the foolish
virgins remained without. The same also
is found in the Apocalypse, where many
things are said of the " marriage supper of
the Lamb" celebrated with great magni
ficence in the kingdom of heaven. Now
the beatitude of the saints may be com
pared to a royal marriage, because on such
occasions every variety of pleasure is expe
rienced and enjoyed. But of this we shall
treat in the following Book.
In fine, in the Apocalypse St. John sees
a choir of virgins who followed the Lamb
wheresoever He goeth, and sang a new
canticle which no one else could ^ sing.
Which passage St. Augustine explains^ in
his Book on " Holy Virginity/ as having
relation to certain joys and holy pleasures,
which virgins alone will enjoy. Thus it is
manifest, that in our heavenly kingdom and
city, there are many true joys arid most
abundant pleasures.
CHAPTER II.
ON THE JOY OF THE UNDERSTANDING.
SINCE it has been proved from Holy
Scripture, that in the kingdom of heaven
there is true joy, we will now explain what
those joys are. And first, we will briefly
156 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
explain the joys of the Understanding, of
the Will, and of the Memory, which relate
to the mind : afterwards the joys of the
other senses which relate to the body. We
do not here mean to assert, that the under
standing, memory, and the senses of the
body are the proper seat of joy; sincere
are not ignorant that joy as well as desire,
properly belong to the will in the superior
part, and to the appetite in the inferior.
But we speak as men generally do- who
hesitate not to say, " The eye is delighted
with the beauty of colour, and the ear with
the harmony of sound/ By the joy of the
understanding, therefore, or of the memory,
or external senses, we mean the pleasure
which men experience from those objects,
which they either understand, or remem
ber, or derive from their external senses.
The chief joy of the " Blessed" then will
be, to behold with the eyes of the soul God
face to face, as St. Paul mentions in his
first Epistle to the Corinthians : and to be
hold Him as He is, according to St. John.
And how great this joy will be, we can con
jecture from what the prophet Isaias and
the apostle Paul testify, that it exceeds all
the joys which we have seen, or heard, or
desired, or can imagine: " Eye hath not
seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered
into the heart of man, what things God
hath prepared for them that love Him/
(1 Corinth, ii. 9.) The holy Scripture
also speaks of a particular and essen-
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 157
tial happiness which consists in seeing
God according to the words of our
Lord : " Blessed are the clean of heart, for
they shall see God :" and also : " Now this
is eternal life : that they may know thee,
the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom
thou hast sent." (St. John, xvii. 3.) This
truly seems a great privilege, that no
one can see, or hear, or desire, or imagine
any good equal to that which the sight of God
will convey to us ; and yet this is no exag
geration, but the simple truth, because the
eyes, the ears, and the heart of man are
accustomed to finite and limited joys : but
the sight of G;od is a vision of light inacces
sible, of an infinite Good which contains
every good, according to what the Lord
said to Moses when he had asked, (t Show
me thy face." He answered, " I will show
thee every good thing." But that we may
prove this from reason, we learn from St.
Thomas that delight which comes from
knowledge requires three things power, a
sensible object suitable to that power, and an
union of the object with this power; and
that in proportion as the power is capable of
knowledge, and the object more noble, and
the union more intimate, so much the
greater pleasure is derived. ^ But no one
can doubt but that the mind is much more
pure and noble, and more capable of know
ledge than the exterior senses. ^ Now, all
must admit that God is the highest and
most noble object, placed not only above
158 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
all objects of sense, bat also above those of
the mind, being infinite Goodness itself.
But it is also equally certain, that a union
of the mind with God by a clear vision is so
intimate that the essence of God will pene
trate the whole soul, whilst the soul herself
will be transformed into God as if she were
plunged into a great sea. Who, therefore,
can imagine the greatness of this joy ? The
sweetness of this embrace from an infinite
Good, from a Spouse of infinite beauty?
From the beautiful union of colour with
the sense of sight, and the sweetest sounds
with the sense of hearing, we certainly ex
perience great pleasure ; and often it is so
great, that many by it almost lose their
senses. And yet the sense of feeling is
material, and common to us with beasts :
the objects also are corporal, and deceive
us as often as they delight us. In fine, the
union is superficial and external ; and in
many of the senses it is not an union of the
object itself, but of its image with the mind.
But the spiritual union of God with the
understanding is more firm, durable, and
complete ; whilst corporal pleasures that
are derived from the senses, because they
are mutable, cannot be durable nor com
plete, being given to us as it were by
drops. Wherefore, without doubt, the
pleasure of the mind is greater than that of
the senses.
Wherefore, Man ! recollect thyself,
and weigh impartially the pleasure which
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 159
the world offers thee, with that which God
offers thee, when He promises Himself tc
those that love Him: choose what thou
wishest for. If thou love pleasure which
is certainly pleasing to thee, thou wilt
choose the greatest, rather than the least ;
the ever-enduring, rather than the momen
tary. But not oUy the sight of God is
promised to the good^in heaven, but also
the sight of all those things which God hath
made. Here on earth we perceive by our
eyes the sun, moon, stars ; the sea, rivers,
animals, trees and minerals. But our
mind does not know the substance of these
created things, their essential difference,
their properties or power: we cannot see
even our own soul, but like blind men we
feel for effects, and by reasoning, acquire a
little knowledge. What then will be the
joy, when our mind in the vision of God,
will clearly see the substance of all things,
their difference, properties and power !
And what great exultation will be ours,
when we shall behold the innumerable
army of angels, not one of whom resembles
another, and shall clearly see the difference
of all ! What unbounded joy will it be,
when we shall behold those holy men, who
have been from the beginning of the world
even unto the end, united together with all
the angels ! When we shall behold the
merits of each, their crowns and palms of
victory ! We shall also see with feelings
of pleasure, the crimes and torments of the
160 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
damned, in which the sanctity of the good,
and the justice of God will wonderfully
shine forth; for then the just will wash
their hands in the blood of the wicked, as
the prophet saith. And what doth "wash
ing their hands in the blood of the wicked"
signify, but that the good works of the
blessed will shine more Brightly, in compa
rison with the works of the wicked ? The
virginity of some will be more resplendent,
when compared with the adulteries of
others: and the fasts and alms-deeds of
many, when compared with the gluttony
and revellings of others. It will then be
said: this young man was beautiful, and
yet he observed perpetual chastity: this
other youth was beautiful also, but not con
tent with his own wife, he often committed
adulteries and sacrileges. This man was
rich and of noble extraction, and yet he
fasted and prayed often, and gave abundant
alms : another was equally rich and of noble
extraction, but being addicted to gluttony
and drunkenness, he spent his money in
pleasures, so that he had nothing to give to
the poor. Hence it^will be, that the joy of
the Just will be increased, by knowing
the crimes of the wicked. At the same
time, their joy will also be great, from the
contemplation of the justice which will be
so conspicuous, in the rewards of the
blessed and the punishment of the wicked.
Now, in human affairs, we perceive a great
anomaly, because crime is often united with
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS 161
reward, and virtue with punishment, so
that the justice of God seems in a manner
to be obscured amongst men. But then
every crime will have its punishment, and
every virtue its reward, so that the beauty
of God s justice will excite incredible joy
in the minds of the blessed.
CHAPTER III.
ON THE JOY OF THE WILL,
THERE are three things which produce
the greatest love in the will. One is a
most ardent and inextinguishable love of
God and of our neighbour ; for love is the
chief ingredient of every thing loved. He
that loves, thinks that every thing which
he loves, is most beautiful and excellent ;
and therefore he rejoices greatly when he
sees them; and when absent from them
grieves inconsolably. We see parents, who
naturally have great love for their children,
consider them the most beautiful, talented,
and prude-nt, although they are often de
formed and devoid of judgment and know
ledge. And if a choice were given to
them, they would not exchange their sons
for any others, however superior to their
own in the judgment of men. We often,
too, behold people, either by chance or any
other cause, in love with deformed persons,
11
162 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
to converse with whom they consider a
great pleasure, and to be separated from
them a great calamity. This would cer
tainly not be the case, unless, as we have
said, love is the ingredient of every thing
loved. And since this is the case, how
great will be the joy of the saints, to con
verse with God and all the blessed, whom
they will ever love with the most ardent
affection, and who not falsely, but very
truly, are most beautiful and excellent,
and from whom they know they will never
be removed. On the other hand, one of
the greatest torments of hell will be, to be
united with those whom we shall hold in
the utmost horror, and who we know cir
cumvented us with a thousand artifices.
Another circumstance that will cause
great joy in the mind of the blessed, will
be a certain inexpressible repose, and
satiety without fulness, which will make
them happy and contented in every way.
Here on earth no one is contented with his
lot, no one but wishes for more than he
has, which he cannot obtain. Hence all
are hungry, all thirsty, all live in discon
tent. Nor ought this to appear wonderful
to us, since our soul is capable of an infi
nite and eternal good, and created things
are frail and insignificant, which cannot
last long. What then will be the joy of
that man, who shall see ^ himself in a
place where he will live quite contented!
where he will desire nothing, fear nothing.
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 163
require nothing, nor seek for any thing
more! Peace! that exceedeth every
pleasure which the world can give, and
which alone is found in the heavenly Jeru
salem, the city of our great and peaceful
King ! For thee my soul sigheth, full of
troubles and temptations : in the recollec
tion and expectation of thee alone, it rest-
eth for a little time.
The third circumstance that will give joy
to the blessed, is perfect justice, and that
more perfect than original justice was in
Adam. The one subjected the inferior
part to the superior, till the latter was sub
ject to God : but the other will subject the
inferior to the superior, and the superior to
God, by a most firm and indissoluble
union. The one was like a woollen or
linen vest: but the other will be all of
gold or silk, which will make the will most
beautiful and lovely to God, to itself, to the
angels, and to all the blessed. This is
that perfect justice which hath no stain,
not even a venial one ; so that of such a
soul clothed with such a garment it may
be said : " Thou art all beautiful, my be
loved, and there is no spot in thee." This
includes all those virtues which admit of
no imperfection, and how great joy and
pleasure this justice brings with it, the
wise man beareth witness in the Proverbs,
" A secure mind is like a continual feast."
(chap, xv.) That mind alone is secure,
whose conscience never stings, and which
164 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
by perfect justice is so established in good %
that it cannot fall, even for a moment. Of
this St. Paul beareth witness when he
says, " The kingdom of God is not ^meat
and drink; but justice, and peace, and joy in
the Holy Ghost/ (Epistle to the Romans,
chap. xiv. 17.) Here the holy Apostle
plainly teaches us, that the kingdom of
heaven possesses in itself great joy; but
that it does not consist in the pleasure of
meat and drink, as carnal men might per
haps wish, but in justice, which produces in
the mind a solid peace and true joy.^ For
he that is perfectly just, hath not in his
heart any thing to reprehend him, nor in
his actions what others might reprehend.
Hence arises a solid and sweet peace with
God, with himself, and with all others:
hence, an unspeakable joy in the Holy
Ghost, with which no earthly or temporal
pleasure can bear any comparison.
CHAPTER IV.
ON THE JOY OF THE MEMORY.
THE memory will supply no small mat
ter for joy, from the recollection of the past.
First, the recollection of the benefits of
God in the spiritual and corporal, the natu
ral and supernatural life, as well as the
temporal and eternal, will bring incredible
joy, when the just recollect in how many
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS 165
ways the blessings of heavenly sweetness
were given to them. Then the recollec
tion of the dangers from which God deli
vered them so wonderfully, in every age
and every state, will be a source of un
bounded joy. And amongst other dan
gers I consider this the chief, that often
they were near committing mortal sin, and
therefore near hell, and yet that God.
moved by His goodness alone, prevented
the sin. This singular mercy of God being
often considered by the elect in their most
peaceful kingdom, will give them the
greatest delight. And if the saints had not
the recollection of these things in heaven,
how could they, as the Psalmist saith, sing
the mercies of the Lord for ever ? "Nothing
will be sweeter in the city/ says St. Au
gustine, " than this canticle for the glory of
the grace of Christ, by which we were
redeemed/ "
What shall I say of the course of ages
from the beginning, even to the end of
time? What pleasure will the remem
brance of so many vicissitudes bring, of
such a variety of things, which the wonder
ful providence of God so wisely governed,
ruled, and conducted to their proper ends !
This perhaps is "the stream of the river
which maketh the city of God joyful."
What is the course of ages flowing with so
great velocity and never interrupting its
* Lib. 22. " De Civitate Dei."
166 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
course, except the stream of the river
that rolls its waters continually, till they
disappear and are lost in the ocean ? And
then, whilst the stream floweth and time
flieth, many doubt of the providence of
God: and some even of His servants are
disturbed by this ( stream of the river/
which often brings evil to the good, and
blessings to the wicked ; which takes away
the good land from the just, and carries it
to the camp of the wicked, and brings them
so many temptations, that they seem to
complain of the providence of God. Hear
the royal Prophet : " But my feet were al
most moved : my steps had well nigh slipt.
Because I had a zeal on occasion of the
wicked, seeing the prosperity of sinners:"
and a little lower : Behold these are sin
ners ; and yet abounding in the world they
have obtained riches. And 1 said: then
have I in vain justified my heart, and
washed my hands among the innocent.
And I have been scourged all the day,"
cfcc. (Psalm Ixxii.) Hear Jeremias:
:( Thou ^indeed, Lord, art just, if I will
plead with thee, but yet I will speak what
is just to thee. Why doth the way of the
wicked prosper: why is it well with all them
that transgress, and do wickedly? Thou
hast planted them, and they have taken
root: they prosper and bring forth fruit:
thou art near in their mouth, and % far from,
their reins." (chap, xii.) Hear the pro-
1 het Habacuc : " Why lookest thou upon
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 167
them that do unjust things, and boldest thy
peace, when the wicked devoureth the man
that is more just than himself? And thou
wilt make men as the fishes of the sea, and
as the creeping things that have no ruler."
(chap, i.) But when the course of time
shall be accomplished, and the river shall
be lost in the sea, then the saints in heaven,
calling to mind all its revolutions, shall
clearly read the reason of its vicissitudes in
the book of .divine providence, and thereby
it is incredible, how the stream of this
river/ represented to them by memory,
will make joyful the city of God ! There
they will see, why God permitted the first
angel and the first man to fall: why the
mercy of God liberated man, and did not
liberate the angel. There they will see,
why God chose for His peculiar people the
children of Abraham, who, nevertheless,
he foresaw, would be a stiff-necked people :
and how great blessings he was preparing,
on account of their obstinacy, for the Gen
tiles. In fine, to omit speaking of His uni
versal providence, there they will see why
He permitted many, and nearly all the
just, to suffer afflictions; it was, that He
might crown them more gloriously. And
thus, from the remembrance of them, they
will bless with great joy all those crosses
which they suffered, since they see them
changed into eternal crowns, and they will
exclaim with the Prophet: " According to
168 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
the multitude of my sorrows in my heart,
thy comforts have given joy to my soul."
CHAPTER V.
ON THE JOY OF THE EYES.
LET us now consider the joys of a glori
fied body. And first, there will be the joy
of the sense of " seeing/ which amongst
corporal senses is the most noble, and its
office the most extensive. This sense then
will rejoice at the splendour and beauty of
its own body in heaven ; for it will see the
body ( reformed by Christ, and made like
to the body of His glory/ as St. Paul men
tions in ^his Epistle to the Philippians.
Nor will its brightness be less than that of
the sun, for the Apostle testifies in the
Acts of the Apostles, that he saw Christ
(to whose splendour we shall be made con
formable,) shining above the brightness of
the sun : and our Lord himself in St. Mat
thew says: "Then the just shall shine as
the sun in the kingdom of their Father."
What a glorious spectacle therefore will be
presented to the eyes of the blessed, when
they shall behold their hands, their feet,
and all their members, sending forth rays
of light ; so that they will no more stand in
need of the sun, or of the moon, or of any
other inferior light, to dissipate the dark
ness ! But not only will their own bodies
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 169
shine as the sun, but the bodies of all the
saints also, and especially the body of
Christ himself and of His most blessed
Mother. How doth one sun rejoice at his
rising- the whole earth ! What then will it
be, to behold innumerable suns, most beau
tiful not only by their brightness, but also
by the variety and glory of the members !
Nor will the blessed be here obliged to
close their eyes, lest they should be injured
by the dazzling splendour: for the eyes
themselves will be blessed, and therefore
made impassible and immortal. For He
who will make the eyes of the soul like to
His glory, lest seeing God face to face they
should be overpowered, will also endow the
eyes of the body with impassibility, that
they may behold not one sun only but
many without injury.
It will also be an addition to the joy of
the eyes, as St. Augustine teaches us in his
" City of God/ that the blessed martyrs
will display the most illustrious marks of
their virtues, in those particular parts of the
body in which they endured torments.
What joy, therefore, will it be to see St.
Stephen adorned with as many illustrious
jewels as he endured blows of the stones in
his body ! What to see St. John the Bap
tist, St. James the Great, and St. Paul the
Apostle besides others almost infinite in
number, who suffered for Christ all shining
in unspeakable beauty, more resplendent
than any gold ! What to behold St. Bar-
170 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
tholpmew, who was flayed alive, then so
glorious beyond the beauty of the richest
purple ! And, not to mention others, what
will it be to behold St. Peter and St.
Andrew, and many others who endured the
punishment of the cross, now with their
hands and feet shining like stars in the
greatest splendour ! And with regard to
Christ, the King of the martyrs, who for
His own glory, and for our comfort, hath
deigned to bear the marks of the cross, no
tongue can express with what glory these
most sacred marks will shine ! And all the
glory of the saints, when compared with
that of Christ, is less than the beauty of
the stars when compared with the beauty of
the sun.
But what shall I say of the pleasure which
the eyes will derive from viewing this most
extensive city, which Tobias and St. John,
not being able to find sufficient words to
express, have described it as adorned with
gems and precious stones ! What of this
new heaven and new earth, which is pro
mised us in the Holy Scripture after the
last day ? What of the renovation of this
whole universe into a better state? For,
as these things are unknown to us, so will
they delight the eyes of the blessed, when
their beautv shall be seen.
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 171
CHAPTER VI.
ON THE JOY OF THE EARS.
THAT the sense of hearing* will be an in
strument of speech in heaven, we cannot
doubt, for the bodies of the blessed will be
truly animated and perfect in every part ;
such was the body of Christ after His resur
rection, which all the apostles, many of the
disciples, and many women clearly saw.
They heard Him speaking, and He answer
ed their questions. St. Paul also tells us,
that he heard Christ speaking from heaven,
and that he answered Him. That there
will likewise be * Canticles" sung in hea
ven, and especially that of s< Alleluia/
Tobias and St. John testify. From them
it is evident, that there will be in that city
many most sweet canticles, by which God
will be praised, and the ears of the blessed
wonderfully delighted. And if everything
be in proportion, there can be no doubt but
that this canticle will be as sweet and ex
cellent as the cantors themselves are learn
ed, as He who will be praised is so holy,
and as the place wherein the canticle will
be sung is so glorious, and the choir of
hearers so intelligent and numerous ! What
then will it be amidst a most profound
peace, in such concord of mind, and ardour
of charity towards their great Benefactor,
172 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
to hear the most melodious voices singing
Alleluia ! If St. Francis, as it is related
by St. Bonaventure,* was so moved by the
sound of a harp touched by an angel for a
moment, that he supposed himself to have
been in another world, how will our ears be
delighted when thousands of harps and
cantors shall praise God with most melo
dious voices ! when other thousands, with
the like harmony, shall repeat the same
canticles again and again ! But the praises
of God only will not be sung in this city;
for the triumphs of the martyrs also, the
merits of the confessors, the glory of the
virgins, and the victories of all over the
snares of the devil, will be celebrated in
song : all these praises will redound to the
glory of God. Ecclesiasticus says : " Who
hath been tried thereby, and made perfect,
he shall have glory everlasting. He that
could have transgressed, and hath not
transgressed ; and could do evil things, and
hath not done them: therefore are his
goods established in the Lord, and all the
Church of the saints shall declare his alms."
(chap, xxxi.) Now, although these words
are to be understood as relating to the
praises of those who dwell in the Church on
earth ; yet nothing prevents us from apply
ing them to the blessed in heaven, and the
Church triumphant. For there the saints
will have true and eternal glory : there is
* In his " Life" of St. Francis, chap. v.
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 173
truly the Church of the saints. And since
in the Gospel our Lord saith, that faithful
and prudent servants will be praised by
God in heaven in these words: "Well done,
food and faithful servant, because thou
ast been faithful over a few things, I will
place thee over many things : enter thou
into the joy of thy Lord;" what prevents
us from supposing that these words of ^ our
Lord will be taken up by the whole choir of
the celestial city, and most sweetly repeat
ed again and again ? The Catholic Church
has not hesitated to say of St. Martin :
" Martin, here poor and mean, now rich,
enters heaven, and is honoured with hea
venly hymns. " In fine, St. Augustine, in
the last book of the " City of God/ 7 affirms
the same in these eloquent words : " There
will be true glory, where no one will be
praised, either by the error or flattery of the
praiser. True honour will be there, that
will be denied to no one who is worthy of
it, nor given to any unworthy of it. Nor
will any unworthy person aspire to it there,
where none but the worthy are admitted."
Oh, thrice blessed then will those be, who
in this place whence flattery is banished,
and where^ no deceit is found, shall hear
their praises sung without danger of
pride, but not without an increase of their
joy!
174 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
CHAPTER VII.
OX THE JOY OF THE NOSTRILS.
ON the other senses only a few remarks
must be made ; not because they will not
have great and peculiar pleasures, but be
cause the Holy Scripture does not inform
us what these pleasures will be. But this
is sufficiently evident, that many bodies
of the saints, immediately after their
death, began to send forth a most sweet
odour, such as no one had perceived before.
This St. Jerome relates of the body of St.
Hilarion, for he affirms that ten months
after his burial his body was found perfect,
as if he were still living; and so fragrant was
it, that it seemed to have been embalmed.
St. Gregory, in his "Dialogues," relates the
same thing of the body of St. Servulus, a
paralytic. These are his words: "At the
departure of his soul such sweet fragrance
was scattered, that all who were present
were filled with an inconceivable sweetness;
and until the body was buried, every one
felt the fragrance/ Other examples of a
like nature are to be found, both in ancient
and modern times. From these cases we
may argue, that if the bodies of the de
ceased saints, after the soul was assumed
to glory, breathed such a sweet odour,
much more will these bodies breathe the
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 175
same when they shall be glorified and alive.
St. Gregory in his " Dialogues" also
speaks of the body of our Saviour, in the
following manner: "Then Tarsilla^ the
virgin, looking up, beheld Jesus coming;
and suddenly with such a wonderful fra
grance was she covered, that it was a proof
to all the Author of sweetness was pre
sent." And thus, if the glorified body of
our Saviour breathed such an odour of
sweetness, it is certain that all the bodies of
the saints will send forth the sweetest
odours : for it is meet that the members
should be conformable to their head, not
only in their glory, but also in the sweet
ness of their fragrance. Let those, there
fore, who are delighted with odours, think
with what sweetness they will be filled,
when in that divine garden, adorned with
thousands of heavenly flowers, they will
inhale such various and sweet odours.
CHAPTER VIII.
ON THE JOY THE SENSES OF TOUCH AXD TASTE
WILL HAVE.
ON the sense of taste theologians write,
that the blessed will not use earthly food;
but yet that this sense will have a certain
pleasure, lest it should appear to be super
fluous ; but this pleasure will be suitable to
176 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
the state and condition of the just. On the
sense of touch, all agree that it will be pos
sessed in heaven, since the bodies of the
blessed can certainly be touched, being true
and animated bodies, according to the
words of our Lord : "Handle and see : for a
spirit hath not flesh and bones, as you see
me to have."
But we do not wish to enter on those
points which are disputed in the schools.
We believe, however, that the sense of
touch will derive no small pleasure from the
perpetual beauty of the body endowed with
glorified properties, of which St. Paul speaks
in his First Epistle to the Corinthians: "It
is sown in dishonour, it shall rise in glory.
It is sown^ in weakness, it shall rise in
power. It is sown a natural body, it shall
rise a spiritual body," cfec. (chap, xv.) , Of
these four endowments or privileges of a
glorified body, that concerning its splen
dour relates to the sense of sight, as we
have already mentioned; the other three
seem properly to relate to the sense of
touch. For as, when the body is attacked
with any disorder, or receives a wound
which is mortal, it is the sense of touch
that suffers ; so also, when the body is in
health, the same sense rejoices. Greatly,
therefore, will the sense of touch rejoice in
heaven, when, after the resurrection, the
bodies of the blessed will be immortal and
impassible, and, consequently, endowed
with perpetual health. What would not
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 177
men give, and especially princes, if, during
their whole life, they could be free from the
gout, the head-ache, or any other pains?
What then will be the joy in heaven, from
which not only death, but every disease and
sorrow will be far removed ! Wherefore,
those endowments by which a corruptible
body will rise incorruptible, and that which
is infirm will become impassible, relate to
the sense of touch. The endowments of
agility and subtility, by which what is cor
poral will be spiritual, seem also to relate
to the same sense. It will be a spiritual
and glorified body ; not because it will not
have truly flesh and bones, but because it
will be so subject to the spirit, that, by the
mere nod of the soul, it will be able without
difficulty to move with the greatest velocity,
to ascend and descend, to go and to return,
to penetrate any place, as if it were not a
body but a spirit. As, therefore, the sense
of touch suffers when a heavy body is forced
to ascend upwards, or to be moved from
place to place quickly; so, on the contrary,
it rejoices when the body without labour
either ascends or passes quickly from place
to place. Behold, then, from what a servi
tude of corruption the " blessed" will be
free, when they will no more stand in need
of horses, or chariots, or arms, or servants,
or any other thing; but their bodies will of
themselves go wherever they wish, and
everywhere be free from danger, even in
the midst of armed forces. 12
178 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
Would that those who cannot enjoy spiri
tual delights because they have a vitiated
taste, would at least consider these corpo
ral endowments, which are so excellent
and desirable, and seek after them ! And
thus they might be induced gradually to
ascend higher; and by these steps, they
would at length, by the divine assistance,
reach unto eternal joys.
CHAPTER IX.
THE JOYS OF HEAVEN COMPARED WITH THOSE
OF EARTH.
WE have already explained, according to
our ability, what joys are prepared in hea
ven for those that love God ; we will now,
by certain external arguments, endeavour
to show how great they are. And, first, we
shall consider the pleasures which God often
gives, even to his enemies, in this life. And
truly, so great joys are found in riches,
honours, power, and various other plea
sures, which God gives to those that even
blaspheme Him, or believe not in Him,
that nearly all men consider them happy
beings. David exclaims : They have
called the people happy that hath these
things/ (Psalm cxliii.) Who amongst the
lovers of this world does not envy Solomon,
who reigned forty years, and abounded in
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 179
riches and every delight, besides having
seven hundred wives and three hundred
concubines? And yet, according to the
opinion of Sj. Augustine, it seems that he
was lost, for thus he speaks : " Solomon
himself was a lover of women, and was cast
off by God/ And in his book on the
" City of God/ he says of Solomon what
Sallust said of Cataline, " He began well,
but ended badly." ^ St. Gregory also fol
lows St. Augustine in the 2nd Book of his
"Morals/ Not unlike Solomon are, in our
own times, the kings of Turkey, Persia,
China, and ^Tartary, who possess the most
extensive kingdoms, and are addicted to
carnal pleasures ; they indulge their heart,
their eyes, their ears, and palate in every
thing they desire.
But not to dwell on these pleasures,
which belong only to a few, how great are
the joys which God gives to mortals in
general, the greater part of whom neither
know, nor love, nor fear God ! Hath
He not given to all the earth with its
riches and pleasures, animals, fruit, flowers,
and metals? Hath He not given to all
men in general the sea, fountains, rivers,
and lakes, filled with so many kinds of
fishes? Hath He not outspread the hea
vens, to be as it were the roof of His great
house, adorned with innumerable stars ?
Doth not this same great and most bounti-
* In Psalraura, 126.
180 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
ful Lord command His sun to rise and His
rain to fall, both upon the just and the
unjust ? Now, if He hath given so many
pleasures to reprobate sinners and ungrate
ful slaves, who are deserving (ff the severest
punishments, is it not just that He should
reserve for His friends and children joys
infinitely greater? Hear St. Augustine:
To sinners that blaspheme His name
daily, He gives the heavens and the earth :
fountains, fruits, health, children, riches,
abundance. He who giveth such to sin
ners, what thinkest thou will He not give
to His faithful servants ?" It is mentioned
in the Life of St. Fulgentius," that when
he once saw the glory of the Roman senate
he exclaimed : " ! how beautiful must the
heavenly Jerusalem be, if earthly Rome be
so glorious ! And if in this world so much
honour be given to those that love vanity,
what honour and glory will be given unto
the saints, who behold truth itself!" St.
Augustine, who was such a wise judge of
things, does not hesitate to assert there is
such a difference between heavenly and
earthly joys, that the enjoyment of celestial
pleasures for one day only, would be more
desirable than the enjoyment of earthly
pleasures for thousands of ^ages. These
are his words : "So great is the glory of
eternal life, that, supposing we could only
enjoy it for one day for this alone counties?
Apud Surius, Tom. 1.
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 181
years of this life, full of earthly goods and
happiness, should justly be despised ; for
not without reason has it been said, " Bet
ter is one day in thy courts above thou
sands/ What then shall we say? If these
words are true, as they most certainly are,
is it not reasonable that we should now at
length begin to be wise ? Hitherto we have
been accustomed to exhort you to despise
earthly goods because they are momentary,
and to love heavenly things because they
are eternal. But now we hear St. Augus
tine, a most learned doctor, affirming that
although earthly goods were eternal, and
heavenly ones only momentary, yet that the
latter should be preferred to the former !
Are we not therefore deaf, blind, stupid,
and foolish, if, on account of earthly goods,
which are not only vile, but frail and transi
tory, we despise heavenly treasures, which
are most precious and eternal? Cure, O
merciful Lord ! our deafness : enlighten our
blindness : rouse^ our stupidity : heal our
madness. Why is the light of thy counte
nance signed upon us, Lord, if we discern
not things so great and so necessary ? And
why hast thou given unto us the judgment
ot reason, if we see not objects so evident ?"*
* Rurope tu, Domine misericors et miserator, surditatem
nostram: iilumina ccecitatem: excita stupiditatem: Sana
deraentiam. TJt quid enim signasti super nos lumen vultus
tui, Domine, si haec tarn magna et tarn necessaria Don dis-
cernimusl Et quare dedisti nobis judicium rationis, si kaec
tain evidentia uon videmus!"
182 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
CHAPTER X.
THE EARTHLY AND HEAVENLY PARADISE COMPARED.
WE have compared the joys of this world
with the joys of the kingdom of heaven : we
will now compare in a few words the joys
of the earthly paradise, with those of the
heavenly one. We may know how great
were the pleasures of the terrestrial paradise
from this circumstance, that it was a gar
den of pleasure given to men, who were
created according to the image and like
ness of God, whilst the other parts of the
earth were given to the animals. But
when Adam by his sin had lost the honour
in which he had been placed by God,
and had become like senseless beasts,
he was then cast out of paradise into
this place. St. Alchimus, in his poems on
Genesis, and others describe paradise as a
most beautiful region, and very temperate ;
where neither the heat of summer could
burn, nor the cold of winter injure, but a
perpetual spring of flowers flourished, and
autumn gave its fruits of every kind.
St. Basil thus speaks of it in his book
on Paradise : "God planted paradise where
there is no violence of wind, no in
clemency of seasons, no hail, nor thun
der, nor storms ; no cold of winter, nor
damp of spring, nor summer s heat, nor
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 183
autumn s dryness: but the seasons are
temperate, and in peace among themselves,
for they dance around that place ; yea,
the pleasures of spring, the nourishment of
summer, the joy of autumn, and the rest of
winter meet there together with their bless
ings. Clear are its waters, affording great
joy to the eye, but possessing more utility
than joy. God, therefore, created this place
at first as worthy to receive His plants.
Afterwards he planted therein a variety of
beautiful trees, most pleasing to the sight,
and by them He bestowed a most sweet
enjoyment/
St. Augustine, in his " City of God,"
thus speaks of paradise: "What could
these fear or grieve for, being in pos
session of such an abundance of good
things ; where neither death was feared, nor
any distemper of the body, and every thing
was present which the will could desire ; nor
could anything enter to injure the body or
soul of those that lived so happily ? Their
love of God was undisturbed, and they
lived together in a faithful and sincere
friendship : from this love came great joy.
There was a tranquil avoiding of sin, which,
while it remained, no evil could happen to
give them sorrow. How happy, therefore,
were these first men, whose minds were
agitated by no fears, nor their bodies in
jured by any evils ! The whole human
race would have been as happy, had not
these committed sin, which they passed to
184 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
posterity, and had not every one of their
descendants sinned, and thus brought
damnation." So far St. Augustine. I
omit others who have written on the won
derful beauty and fruitfulness of the earthly
paradise, such as Claudius Marius Victor,
St. John Damascene, St. Isidore, &c.
But whatever we may think of these
particular accounts, we learn from the Holy
Scripture itself that paradise was doubtless
a more happy place than this our habita
tion, since, as a punishment for sin, it
was said to Adam: "Because thpu hast
hearkened to the voice of thy wife, and
hast eaten of the tree whereof I command
ed thee that ^thou shouldst not eat, cursed
is the earth in thy work : with labour and
toil shalt thou eat thereof all the days of
thy life. Thorns and thistles shall it bring
forth to thee," &c. And to the woman He
said : "I will multiply thy sorrows and thy
conceptions ; in sorrow shalt thou bring
forth children, and thou shalt be under thy
husband s power, and he shall have domi
nion over thee." (chap, iii.) In paradise,
therefore, there would not have been steri
lity of the earth, neither would its cultiva
tion have required labour, nor would it have
brought forth briars and thorns ; women
would always have conceived with fruit,
and although they might be subject to their
husbands, the subjection would not have
been despotic, but mild and moderate.
These, therefore, would have led a happy
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 185
life, without fear or sorrow, without labour
and trouble.
Now, if the earthly paradise, had not sin
been committed, would have been free from
every evil, and have abounded in all good,
what ought we to think of our heavenly
Paradise, which must be so much more
beautiful as it is more excellent, being
created for more excellent beings? The
heaven of the blessed is, without any com
parison, much more sublime than the para
dise of Adam ; and the blessed inhabitants
therein, as they cannot sin or die, are there
fore far, far better off than the inhabitants
of this earthly paradise, who are exposed to
sin and to death. This, then, being the
truth, let us give thanks to God that by the
Passion of His Son, instead of the terres
trial paradise snatched from^us by the envy
of the devil, we have now gained a celestial
one, far more excellent than the other ; and
lest we should be ungrateful to so great a
Redeemer, let us strive with our whole
strength to enter the heavenly paradise, and
to open its gates for ourselves by a lively
faith, by a sincere hope, perfect charity, and
good works.
186 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
CHAPTER XI.
THE GOODS OF THIS WORLD, AND THOSE OF THE EARTHLY
PARADISE COMPARED WITH THE JOYS OF THE HEA
VENLY PARADISE.
WE will now advance further, and com
pare all the goods of this world, as well as
those of the earthly paradise, with the joys
of the heavenly paradise alone ; and these
being united together, we shall see which
preponderate. To accomplish this, let us
imagine that the riches, power, pleasures,
and glory of Solomon, and of other like
fortunate men, could be acquired without
labour, and retained without fear: let us
also suppose, that these men could never
sin, nor ever die. These points then being
granted, I affirm that the joys of the hea
venly paradise alone far excel all the
goods of this world and those of the terres
trial paradise united together. And hence
I conclude, that all these joined together
can never fill the soul, can never satisfy her
desires, because the heart of man is capable
of an infinite good: but these are finite.
Wherefore, the words of St. Augustine,
which are to be found in the beginning of
his " Confessions/ will always be true :
Thou hast made us, O Lord, for Thyself;
and our heart cannot rest until it rest ill
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 187
Thee."* True also are the words of David,
" I shall be satisfied when thy glory shall
appear." (Psalm xyi.) But as long as the
heart is not at rest, it will be miserable, and
if miserable, it will not be happy. Now,
our heavenly paradise will both satiate the
soul, and take away all fear and uneasi
ness. For what can he desire who will be
like unto God, because he will see Him as
He is? What can he desire, whom God
"shall place over all his goods ?" What
can he desire who will reign with God, and
be a co-heir with Christ, "whom the Father
hath appointed heir of all things ?" More
over, because the goods of this world, and
those of the earthly paradise also, may be
lost, however great they are, they are not
therefore perfect goods ; nor can they
satiate and satisfy the soul; and, on this
account, they cannot make it blessed and
happy. But the goods of the heavenly
paradise are, in every way, perfect and
secure : they cannot be lost, nor diminish
ed in the least. For the saints, placed on
their most blessed thrones, can neither die
nor sin, and are most certain of their eter
nal happiness !
May mortals therefore open the eyes of
their soul, and seriously ponder how im
portant it is, not to lose their heavenly
paradise. The subject is truly of the deep
est interest, and not concerning transitory
* " Fecisti nos, Domine, ad te, et in quietum est cor nos
trum, donee requiescat in te." (Confess. Lib. 1. cap. 1.)
188 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
things ; for the wisdom of God hath said,
What doth it profit a man if he gain the
whole world, and lose his own soul ?"
CHAPTER XII.
ON THE TRICE THAT PARADISE WAS PURCHASED AT,
COMPARED WITH PARADISE ITSELF.
THE last comparison will be on the
" price " by which Christ purchased para
dise for us, and by which we also ought to
purchase it with all its goods. Christ, at
the price of His blood, purchased paradise
for us, which the envy of the devil had
snatched from us ; not that he might pos
sess it himself, but that he might deprive
us of it. For this purpose he seduced Eve,
and by her Adam, that he might make
them both partakers of his punishment.
Christ therefore is that wise merchant, who
sold all that he had to purchase the pre
cious pearl, by which is clearly signified
the kingdom of heaven, as He himself
teaches, of whom St. Paul speaks: You
are bought with a great price;" and St.
Peter says, " Knowing that you were not
redeemed with corruptible things as gold
or silver .... but with the precious blood of
Christ, as of a lamb unspotted and unde-
filed:" and again, " They deny the Lord
who bought them/ Christ at the same
time that He bought paradise, bought us
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS 189
also; for we were captives, and had lost
paradise by sin: but Christ redeeming us
from our sins, and from the captivity of the
devil, made us sons and heirs of God at the
same time, and by this means restored
paradise to us. Hence, the greatness of
paradise is shown to us, by appearing to the
wisdom of God worthy of an infinite price.
If amongst men, some wise and very rich
merchant were to purchase a precious pearl
by selling willingly all his goods, certainly
no one would doubt but that this pearl was
so wonderful and valuable, that scarcely a
sufficient price could be given for it. How
greatly therefore ought we to value, if we
Eossess any judgment, the possession of
eaven, which the wisdom of God, the
Word incarnate, by all his labours, suffer
ings, and sorrows for the space of thirty
years purchased for us, at the price of His
most precious death ! We must truly be
quite senseless, if we sell for the vile value
of any earthly goods whatever, that which
Christ our Lord deemed worthy of an in
finite price.
But not only Christ purchased paradise
for us by His blood ; all the saints like
wise taught by Him, most joyfully gave up
whatever they possessed whatever they
were worth whatever they were, in order
to purchase this same paradise. St. Paul
exclaims, " I reckon that the sufferings of
this time are not worthy to be compared
with the glory to come, that shall be re-
190 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
vealed in us." (Epistle to the Romans,
viii. 18.) But although the blood of Christ
was not only a worthy price for paradise,
but also (if I may so speak) more than
worthy, being supereminent and exceeding
the dignity of the thing purchased ; yet He
wished to purchase us also, that He might
honour and exalt us. Great is the glory of
man, because he can obtain paradise, not
only through the merits of Christ, but also
by his own merits, which however derive
their efficacy from Christ. He therefore
that is unwilling to purchase paradise by
doing good and avoiding evil, is expelled
from the inheritance of Christ, as a wicked
and slothful servant in the parable of the
Talents. And the apostle seriously ad
monishes us where he says : " And if sons,
heirs also ; heirs indeed of God, and joint-
heirs with Christ : yet so, if we suffer with
him, that we may also be glorified with
him/ (Epistle to the Romans, viii. 17.)
But lest we should perhaps complain that
we have not a worthy price, we must know
that nothing is required of us but what we
already have. St. Augustine thus speaks :
The kingdom of God is worth as much
as you possess:" he proves this by exam
ples from the Holy Scriptures : " What so
vile, what so earthly, as to break our bread
for the hungry ? The kingdom of heaven
is worth as much ; for it is written, Pos
sess ye the kingdom of heaven, because I
was hungry, and you gave me to eat/ The
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 191
widow purchased it by her mite : Peter
purchased it by leaving his nets : Zaccheus
by giving away the half of his patrimony."
With these words of St. Augustine, Vene
rable Bede also agrees when he says : "The
kingdom of heaven requires nothing else
but thyself: it is worth as much as thou
art: give thyself, and thou shalt possess
it."* Poor Lazarus had nothing to give
but his patience in affliction, and he was
carried by angels to Abraham s bosom :
the good thief had nothing in this world of
his own, besides that voice by which he
exclaimed, " Remember me when thou
shalt come into thy kingdom" and imme
diately he heard, " This day shalt thou be
with me in paradise/ ! truly great is
the goodness of God ! ! ineffable hap
piness of man, who can so easily pass
over every thing most precious, with the
price of his Lord ! Dost thou wish, O man!
to obtain from God a paradise of every
pleasure ? Give thyself to Him , and thou
wilt possess it. What meaneth " Give
thyself?" Love God with thy whole heart:
humble thyself under His powerful hand :
praise Him at all times : be willing to do
His will, whether He wish thee to be rich
or poor illustrious or not illustrious im.
health or in sickness. ^ His will is ador
able, and just are all His judgments. Say
then unto God, I am thine : do with me
* Serm. 19. De Sauctis.
192 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
according to thy pleasure : I do not resist,
I do not murmur, I obey thy commands.
" My heart is ready, O Lord! my heart
is ready. Not my will, but thine be
done/ This holocaust is beyond all value
in the sight of God, who standeth in no
need of our goods. " Doth the Lord de
sire holocausts and victims," saith Samuel,
" and not rather that the voice of the Lord
should be obeyed?" This holocaust of
obedience Christ daily offered to His
Father, according to His own testimony :
I do always the things that please Him."
And St. Paul, the true imitator of our
Saviour, saith : " And therefore we labour,
whether absent or present, to please Him."
This perfect renunciation of all things we
possess, or desire to possess : this denying
of one^s self in Border to please God alone,
is the "true price of paradise." And he
who gives himself in this way to gain para
dise, does not lose himself; but most truly
finds himself, according to our Lord : "He
that findeth his life, shall lose it ; and he
that shall lose his life for me, shall find it."
But since this truth is hidden from the
wise and prudent of this world (who are
fools before God ;) and since the number
gf fools is infinite, therefore "many are
called, but few are chosen."
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 193
THE
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS.
BOOK V.
CHAPTER I.
ON THE TREASURE HIDDEN IN A FIELD.
HITHERTO I have spoken what God hath
suggested to me in my meditations, con
cerning the happiness of the saints, under
the names of those places wherein they who
are truly happy and blessed dwell ; that is,
concerning the Kingdom of Heaven, the
City of God, the House of the Lord, and
the Paradise of delights. I will now add a
few remarks on the same subject, under
the name of those things by which our Lord
hath described the happiness of the Saints,
in the parables. But we must first be in
formed, that these words of our Lord,
" The Kingdom of Heaven is like/ &c.,
which He continually makes use of in the
Parables, do not always refer to the words
immediately following: as if when our Lord
saith, " The kingdom of heaven is like
unto a merchant/ He meant that it was
13
194 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
like to this man : the words relate to the
whole narration, in which by a similitude
the way to the kingdom of heaven is pointed
out. And sometimes the happiness of this
heavenly kingdom is described obscurely ;
sometimes clearly, and at other times it
can in no way be comprehended. I will
explain each part of this division.
When our Lord, in St. Matthew, pro
poses the parable of the Sower, He de
scribes the fruit which the preaching of the
Gospel produces according to the various
dispositions of the land, and this is called
the "Mystery of the Kingdom of God:"
but He mentions nothing of the happiness
of the saints. But when in the same place,
He adds the parable of the cockle, He
alludes briefly to the happiness of the
saints, when He saith, " The wheat gather
ye into my barn, but bind the cockle into
bundles to burn." But when in the same
chapter He speaks of a merchant seeking
good pearls, and of one that found a trea
sure hidden in a field, He then clearly com
pares the kingdom of heaven to the pearl
and the treasure. I find only six parables
of this kind : the first being of the treasure
hidden in a field ; the second of the precious
pearl ; the third of the labourers in the vine
yard ; the fourth of the talents ; the fifth of
the supper ; the sixth of the marriage-feast.
To which I shall add two similitudes from
the Apostle Paul ; one concerning those
that run for the prize, the other concerning
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 195
those that contend in the race. Thus there
will be eight " Considerations" in the
blessed life of the saints, taken from the
parables.
The first parable, therefore, (which is
found in St. Matthew,) makes " the king
dom of heaven like unto a treasure hidden
in a field ;" and it briefly teaches us how
it may be acquired, in these words :
"Which a man having found, hid it, and
for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he
hath, and buyeth that field." (St. Matthew,
xiii. 44.) A treasure signifies an immense
sum of gold, silver, and precious stones;
and it ought to be so old, that no memory
of it exists, and therefore not having a pro
per owner, it belongs of right to him that
finds it. Now this " treasure" is the Divi
nity itself, which is hidden in the field of
the humanity of Christ, according to the
Explanations of St. Hilary, and of St.
Jerome in his Commentary on the 13th
chapter of St. Matthew ; for in Christ, as
the Apostle saith, "are hid all the treasures
of wisdom and knowledge." But the
Divinity is the truest treasure of all good,
and so ancient is it, that no memory re-
maineth of it, because it is eternal and
before all ages : nor had this great treasure
ever any owner, since He is himself the
Lord of all things. But it is said to belong
to those that find it, because He willingly
gives it to them, who having sold all their
goods, hasten to purchase it. But it is said
196 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
to be " hidden" in the humanity of Christ,
as if buried in a field; because although
the Divinity be every where present, yet
nowhere is it more so, than in the humanity
of Christ, with which it is so united, as to
make God and man but one person. Where
fore the Apostle saith : "God was in Christ,
reconciling the world to himself." ^ And
although he was nowhere more than in the
humanity of Christ, yet he appeared to be
so hidden, that a " Light" was necessary
to show God was in Christ. This Light was
St. John the Baptist, who, as St. John the
Apostle writes, " Was a burning and
shining light," and of whom David spoke
in the person of God the Father, " I have
prepared a lamp for my anointed." (Psalm
cxxxi. 17.) St. John made Christ mani
fest, and truly proved Him to be the only-
Begotten Son of God, where he says : " No
man hath seen God at any time ; the only-
begotten Son who is in the bosom of the
Father, he hath declared Him." (chap. i.
18.) And again: "He that come th from
heaven, is above all;" and a little lower,
" The Father loveth the Son ; and He hath
given all things into his hands. He that
believeth in the Son, hath life everlasting ;
but he that believeth not the Son, shall
not see life ; but the wrath of God abideth
on him." (chap. iii. 35, 36.) But although
this " burning and shining light" so
clearly proved Christ to be the Son of God;
yet Jie blind Jews could not, or would not,
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 197
acknowledge the Divinity hidden in Christ;
for, as the Apostle saith : "If they had
known it, they would never have crucified
the Lord of glory/
He therefore, who, being divinely en
lightened, findeth the treasure, " hides it,
and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all
that he hath, and buyeth that field." To
hide the found treasure, is nothing more
than under the veil of humility, to conceal
the grace we have received; not to be
elated by the light given to us from above,
nor to boast of our divine consolations and
revelations, lest vain glory corrupt our true
glory. Wherefore, the Prophet Isaias was
accustomed to say, " My secret to myself;"
and the Apostle Paul, " If I must glory (it
is not expedient indeed) : but I will come
to the visions and revelations of the Lord.
I know a man in Christ above fourteen
years ago," &c. (2 Epist. to Corinth, xii.)
The wonderful revelations he received when
rapt into paradise, he passed over in silence
for fourteen years ; and for ever would he
have concealed them, had he not been
obliged to reveal them. He plainly says,
"it is not expedient" to make known such
gifts ; and under a feigned name he reveals
them, to show how greatly it was against
his inclination. Something like this hap
pened to St. Francis, when the sacred
" Stigmata" were miraculously impressed
upon him, as St. Bonaventure relates in
198 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
his life : "" he was always accustomed to
conceal his divine revelations, and to ex
claim with Isaias, " My secret to myself:"
but yet when he perceived it could not be
concealed, he related the whole case with
great fear to his inquiring brethren.
With joy to sell all that we possess, and
to purchase the field where the treasure was
concealed, means that he who wisheth to
enjoy God and Christ in the kingdom of
heaven, must be entirely free from all affec
tion to temporal things, and deliver himself
and all that he possesseth, to the disposal of
God; and this he should do, not in sadness
or through necessity, but with great joy, for
"God loveth a cheerful giver." But he
that truly understandeth how great will be
the treasure to enjoy Christ in His eternal
country ; to see with the eyes of the mind
His divinity, and with those of the body His
humanity, and to be made a partaker of all
the good things of God and of Christ, and
to possess these securely for ever, to him
it will not appear a great sacrifice to despise
all temporal goods, and life itself, for the
love of God and of eternal happiness. Of
this St. Ignatius the martyr is witness,
who in his Epistle to the Romans, thus
writes: "Let fire and the cross; let the
companies of wild beasts ; let breaking of
bones and tearing of members ; let the
shattering in pieces of the whole body, and
all the wicked torments of the devil come
* Cap. xiii.
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 199
upon me : only let me enjoy Jesus Christ.""""
He that could speak thus, would much less
fear want, ignominy, exile, and the prison,
in order that he might not lose that incom
parable treasure. He therefore who truly
dqsireth to possess the treasure of eternal
life, should seriously consider again and
again, whether he be prepared to despise all
other goods ; otherwise he will never obtain,
either living or dead, that treasure without
which he will be eternally poor and
miserable.
Bat whence is it, that so many anxiously
seek after treasures of gold and silver ; and
not content with human diligence, employ
the aid of evil spirits, to the great clanger of
their life and character? But why do so
few seek after Thy treasure, O Lord, my
God, who alone canst make men rich, and
which can be found without labour, without
cost, or danger? I find rip other cause,
except either the slender faith of Thy peo
ple, or their being too occupied in temporal
things, which leave them not any time for
considering Thy divine promises to men.
Wherefore, dear Lord ! increase our faith
in Thy promises, and extinguish the thirst
of acquiring temporal riches : thus we shall
be enabled with greater ardour to seek after
Thy treasure ; and when found, with Thy
especial assistance to purchase it, by selling
all our goods.
* Oxford Ed. 1840. P. US.
200 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
CHAPTER II.
ON THE PRECIOUS PEARL.
THE next parable, on the precious pearl,
is like to the preceding one: this also conies
in St. Matthew, (chap, xiii.) In the former
was a treasure, and in this is a pearl which
may be considered like a treasure. In the
former parable, it was necessary by the sale
of all our goods, to purchase the hidden
treasure ; in this one likewise, the merchant
sold all his goods, in order to buy it. Where
fore, it will only be necessary to explain in
what point this parable differs from the
other. It differs in two things ; for in the
one a treasure is mentioned, in the other a
pearl : and whilst the treasure is accidently
found, the pearl is diligently sought for by
the merchant. In this parable, the hea
venly beatitude, or Christ himself, is named
a " pearl," as the holy fathers St. Ambrose
and St. Gregory Nazianzen teach. But
that which in the preceding parable is called
a " treasure/ in this is named a " pearl,"
that we may understand how the divinity of
Christ is indeed a treasure, but not divided
into many parts of gold, silver, and precious
stones, for it is one containing within itself
the value of an infinite treasure. A pearl
is one substance : but according to Pliny,
it contains the essence of all precious things.
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 201
Besides, a treasure consists in money alone,
in immense sums ; and it tends not to plea
sure and beauty, but to utility only. Where
fore, lest from the preceding parable any
one might suppose, that heavenly beatitude
was only useful, and not beautiful nor glo
rious, our Lord added this other parable ;
in which He teacheth us, that the divinity
of Christ and our happiness are like unto
the precious pearl, which, beside the utility
of it as a treasure, possesses also the beauty
and splendour that adorn and delight us.
I will also remark, that a pearl is a sym
bol of Christ, both as the Son of God, arid
as the Son of the Blessed Virgin. For as
a pearl is produced by the light of the sun,
and from the dew of heaven, as Pliny and
others remark ; so the Son of God also, as
regards His divinity, is begotten of the
Father of Light, the uncreated Sun ; and
therefore we say in the creed, Light of
Light, true God of true God." ^ Again,
Christ according to His humanity, was
born of the dew of heaven, that is, conceived
of the Holy Ghost, not by man. In fine,
a pearl is white, shining, solid, pure, light
and round. Now, the humanity of Christ,
and much more His divinity without any
comparison, is white by innocence ; shining
by wisdom ; solid by constancy ; pure, be
cause without spot; light, because meek
and mild; and round, because perfect in
every part. But the pearl is not found by
" chance," but is diligently sought after by
202 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
the prudent merchant. And yet, this para
ble is not contrary to the preceding one, in
which the treasure is said to be found by
chance : both are true, but the persons are
different : and therefore our Lord, in His
divine Providence, joined this parable to
the former one, lest we should think all men
may find the treasure as it were by chance.
Some there are, whom God, by a particular
grace, suddenly enlightens, so that neither
seeking, nor desiring, nor thinking, they
arrive at the true faith and a most ardent
charity, and therefore have a certain hope
of obtaining eternal life. These find indeed,
as regard themselves, the treasure by
chance : but God pre-ordained them to this
grace and to future glory, not by chance,
but by His eternal Providence. Others
there are whom God prevents by His grace,
but not suddenly doth He show them the
treasure, for He inspires them with a desire
of seeking the truth : He makes them care
ful merchants, and then aids and directs
them till they find the precious pearl. St.
Paul and St. Augustine are examples in
this respect. St. Paul sought not the true
treasure which is* Christ, but persecuted
Him as a seducer, and the Christians as
men deluded. And when he was on his
journey, "breathing out threatening and
slaughter against the disciples of the Lord/
our Lord appeared unto him ; and at the
same time that He blinded the eyes of his
body, He illuminated those of the soul with
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 203
such great light, that immediately he be
came a preacher, from being a persecutor.
And although this was a fortunate event to
him, yet what appeared chance, was in God
Providence. For thus he speaks in his
Epistle to the Galatians : "For you have
heard of my conversation in time past in
the Jews religion ; how that beyond mea
sure I persecuted the Church of God, and
wasted it. And I made progress in the
Jews religion above many of my equals in
my own nation, being more abundantly
zealous for the traditions of my fathers.
And when it pleased him who separated me
from my mother s womb, and called me by
his grace, to reveal his Son in me, that I
might preach him among the Gentiles,
immediately I condescended not to flesh
and blood." (chap, i.) Wherefore, St. Paul
was separated from the womb of his mother
by Divine providence, that he might preach
the Gospel of Christ ; yet he did not seek
this precious pearl himself, nor the treasure
in the field ; but the treasure was offered to
him, and he became so much in love with it,
that he spared no labours ; yea, he endured
every danger, and <c counted all things as
dung, that he might gain Christ." On the
other hand, St. Augustine began from his
youth to burn with a desire of finding the
" precious pearl," that is, true wisdom and
eternal happiness. But when he fell into
the sect of the Manichees, long and greatly
did he labour, complaining to himself and
204 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
disputing with others, that he might dis
cover the truth of the Christian religion.
But ^when he had discovered in that sect
nothing but fabulous and lying accounts,
he then almost despaired of finding the
truth having spent many years in seeking
it. Thus he speaks in his Confessions : *
:< I had come into the depth of the sea, and
despaired of finding truth/ But yet it
pleased God that he should at length dis
cover the " precious pearl:" and then with
out any delay, having sold all things that
is, having rejected carnal desires by which
he was strongly bound, and despising
honours and emoluments, to which he
ardently aspired, (as he himself tells us,) he
gave himself up for ever to the service of
God alone. This therefore, is the reason,
why in the first parable our Lord compared
the kingdom of heaven to a treasure found
without labour, and by chance ; but in the
other likened it to a pearl, sought after
by a merchant, with great labour and dili
gence.
It now only remains that the Christian
soul, removing aside for a time all other
occupations, should seriously consider with
in herself, and before God, what is the nature
of ^ this business how useful, and how easy
it is at the present time ; .but how difficult,
or rather how impossible it will^ become, if
worldly things occupy the attention. Truly,
* Lib. vi. Cap. 1.
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 205
the children of this world would not omit
the opportunity of purchasing a pearl
which could be sold for many thousands of
pounds. And shall the children of light be
so imprudent as to refuse to purchase the
" pearl" which will make them eternally
rich and happy, and when they will neither
be compelled to receive money in usury,
nor to travel here and there to seek a
purchaser, but it will be quite sufficient
willingly to give what they possess, even if
they had but two farthings. Wherefore,
O Lord my God, let Thy light shine in my
heart : grant that I may know the worth of
Thy invaluable pearl, and at the same time
the littleness of the price which is required
of me to purchase it. Add, Lord, to thy
mercies, that thou mayest not in vain show
unto me so precious a pearl ; and Thou
who hast said, "Cast ye not your pearls
before swine/ grant by Thy grace that if
at any time I have been like unto swine,
ignorant of the value of Thy pearl, and pre
ferring the husks before it, I may now,
enlightened and instructed by Thee, disco
ver the pearl, and selling all my goods,
purchase it with joy.
206 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
CHAPTER IIL
THE LABOURERS IN THE VINEYARD.
THE third parable follows, concerning the
" penny a-day," promised by the house
holder to those labouring in the vineyard.
This parable comes in St. Matthew (c. xx.)
and, at first sight, the reward of eternal life
appears to be greatly lessened in it, since
what before was likened to a treasure and
a precious pearl, is now compared to " a
penny a-day." But this comparison is used
that the reward may agree with the toil
and labour: for the similitude would be
inappropriate if a great treasure, or a pearl,
or sceptre, or royal diadem were promised
to those labouring in the vineyard but for
one day. But it can easily be proved, that
the "penny" does not consist in the value
of a few brass coins, but that it is a hea
venly coin, abundantly sufficient for food
and raiment during a whole eternity. The
reward ought to correspond with the labour;
but the toil of those labouring in the vine
yard of Christ must not be estimated by the
work alone ; (for we should all say with the
Apostle : " I reckon that the sufferings of
this time are not worthy to be compared
with the glory to come, that shall be reveal
ed in us;") but we must estimate the labour
from the grace of God dwelling in the
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 207
hearts of the just, which is a " fountain of
living water/ springing up into eternal
life. And likewise from the virtue of
charity, which is infused into us by the
Holy Spirit that is given to us ; but a crown
of eternal life is prepared by God for them
that love Him, as St. James writes. Like
wise, from our union with Christ, who
being the true vine, gives the greatest value
to the fruit of living branches, and to the
works of living members of His mystical
body, of whom He is the head, and to whom
He hath said: "Be glad and rejoice, for
your reward is very great in heaven." In
fine, will not our Lord say at the last day,
when the reward will be given to those
that labour in the vineyard : " Come, ye
blessed of my Father, possess you the king
dom prepared for you from the foundation
of the world : For I was hungry, and ye
gave me to eat?" &c. Thus, works of
charity especially relate to the labour by
which we toil in the vineyard of the
Lord.
Behold, then, how precious this "penny"
is, which is called by our Lord Himself a
kingdom ! Nor without reason is it called
so, since it represents Christ no less than
the treasure or pearl does. For on the coin
is impressed the image of a prince, and
words are inscribed on it, and the figure is
round. Now, Christ is " the image of the
invisible God," and the " Word" of the
eternal Father, " having neither beginning
208 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
of days nor end of life," which is signified
by the round figure. And in fine, " All
things obey money/ as Solomon saith :
now, Christ is the " Lord of all," as St.
Peter testifieth in the Acts of the Apostles.
Wherefore, the penny" given to those
labouring in the vineyard is Christ, true
God, and by Him eternal life, according to
St. John in his First Epistle : " And He
hath given us understanding, that we may
know the true God, and may be in his true
Son. This is the true God, and life eter
nal." (chap, v.)
But let us consider to whom this precious
reward is given, which, when once possess
ed, we shall no more stand in need of any
thing else. " Call the labourers, and pay
them their hire," saith the Lord. The
reward, therefore, will be given to those
who ^ labour without intermission, without
negligence^ But it will not be given to
those standing in the market-place, idle, or
engaged in fowling, hunting, or gambling :
the reward will be bestowed on the deser
ving, not given gratis, and much less will
it be given^ to the undeserving. When the
Apostle saith, " The wages of sin is death;
but the grace of God life everlasting," he
therefore speaks, because, without the pre
venting grace of God, no one can do good
so as to merit the reward of eternal life;
but when grace is received, which is given
(( gratis," and not from our works, then the
reward of good works will be eternal life.
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 209
. Thus St. Augustine speaks in his Epistle
to Sixtus, a priest at Rome : " As death is
the merited reward as it were of sin, so
eternal life is the reward of virtue."* But
because the same reward is given to all, we
must not suppose that, in the kingdom ol
heaven, all the rewards are alike. The coin
signifies eternal life, whether God or Christ ;
now eternal life, that is, God and Christ,
are common to all the saints. But, as the
same sun is seen more clearly by the eaglf
than by other birds, and as the same fire
gives more warmth to those that are near
it than to those at a distance, so in eternal
life one will see and enjoy God more clearly
and sweetly than another ; for, since there
is a diversity of merit, so also will there be
a diversity of reward. This may have been
the reason why our Lord changed the order
in the distribution of his payments, saying,
c ^Call the labourers, and pay them their
hire, beginning from the last even to the
first. So shall the last be first, and the
first last. For many are called, but few
chosen/ But these words relate to the
grace of the New Testament, informing us
that we are more happy than our fathers
under the Old law, and therefore we should
be grateful to God, and labour with more
cheerfulness and diligence in his vineyard.
The holy men that cultivated the vineyard
of our Lord before the Ascension of Christ
* Epist. 105.
210 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
such as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses,
and other patriarchs and prophets, who
were called at the first, third, sixth, and
ninth hour laboured not only for a long
time because they lived longer, but, even
after death, they were expecting their
reward for many centuries, and some for
many thousands of years. The apostles,
martyrs, and other labourers, who came to
cultivate the vineyard at the eleventh hour,
jlhat is, at the last hour, accoi ding to the
interpretation of St. John,) laboured but
for a few years, and immediately after
death, having entered the kingdom of hea
ven, they received their reward. How great
is this grace, by which, if a Christian wish,
after enduring but very short labours, he
can immediately ascend to that place, for
which the most holy patriarchs and pro
phets sighed for so long a period ! Not
without cause did these ancient saints mur
mur as it were (though this seems to signify
admiration rather than complaint) when
they said: " These last have worked but
one hour, and thou hast made them equal
to us that have borne the burden of the
day and the heats." But our Lord
answered for us : " Friend, I do thee no
wrong : didst thou not agree with me for a
penny ? Take what is thine, and go thy
way : I will also give to this last, even as
to thee." This answer does not mean that
men under the new law receive by grace,
and not by their justice, a reward equal to
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 211
those under the Old law ; but that they re
ceived a more abundant grace, by which
they have no less laboured in the vineyard
for a^short time than the others did during
a long period, and therefore they have justly
received an equal, and even greater reward.
The Apostles certainly laboured for a short
time : but they brought forth the greatest
fruit in the vineyard of the Lord. When
did the patriarchs or prophets, having aban
doned all temporal things, ever traverse
almost the whole earth, and bring so many
kingdoms of the Gentiles to the true wor
ship of God? When, in those ancient
times, did so numerous an army of martyrs
endure every torment and the most cruel
deaths for the true faith ? When, in the
Old Testament, were so many choirs of
holy virgins found, who followed the spot
less Lamb, and vowed and gave unto God
their soul and body ? Where were then so
many pastors and doctors, who, watching
over their flocks, fought against the wolves,
that is, against heretics and pagans, by their
most learned writings ? Where, in fine, was
so great a number of hermits and monks, and
other religious men, who, emulating the
life of angels, spent the day and night in
the praise of God alone and in prayer ?
These and other examples of the most
eminent virtue belong to the New Testa
ment and its blessings, on account of which
our Lord justly concludes the parable in.
these words: " Thus the last shall be first,
212 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
and the first last. For many are called,
but few are chosen;" that is, manyjiave
been called to cultivate the vineyard in all
ages of the world, but few have been chosen
to the grace of the New Testament, by
which they have produced great fruit, and
have in a short time received the greatest
rewards.
But we must not suppose that all who
have been called at the eleventh hour, will
receive a reward ; but those only who have
laboured, with their whole strength and for
a short period, in the vineyard of the Lord.
For many there are, who, knowing that this
hour is the last, and that time is short, say
not as they ought to do : "Our life is short,
therefore let us diligently labour that, in so
short a period, we may bring forth much
fruit." But they speak as the foolish do in
the Book of Wisdom : " They have said,
reasoning with themselves, but not right :
The time of our life is short and tedious,
and in the end of a man there is no remedy,
and no man hath been known to have re
turned from hell Come, therefore, let
us enjoy the good things that are present,
and let us speedily use the creatures as in
youth. Let us fill ourselves with costly
wine and ointments ; and let not the flower
of the time pass by us. Let us crown our
selves with roses, before they be withered :
let no meadow escape our riot: let us every
where leave tokens of joy, for this is^our
portion, and this our lot." (chap, ii.) Such
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 213
is the language of those, who either know
not God, or, acknowledging Him, deny Him
by their works. And these are indeed so
numerous, that to them may be referred
the concluding words of the parable : "Many
are called, but few are chosen/ Many
are called at the last hour, but few chosen,
because few so labour as to be deserving of
the reward.
Woe therefore to us, who, being called at
the last hour, spend the greater part of it in
play and sleep, whilst we ought to be so
careful of every moment as not to suffer one
single portion of it to pass by unprofitably ;
for on these moments dependeth an eter
nity of happiness or of misery. And doubt
less, in proportion as the grace granted to
Christians under the New Law is greater,
so much more grievously will they be
punished who receive this grace in vain.
And as the last shall be first in receiving
the reward, because they laboured dili
gently at the last hour ; so also will the last
be the first in receiving punishment, who
shall neglect diligently to labour at the last
hour.
214 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THIE
CHAPTER IV.
ON THE TALENTS.
THE fourth parable is that in which our
Lord thus speaks of the reward of beati
tude : " Well done, good and faithful ser
vant, because thou hast been faithful over
a few things, I will place thee over many
things : enter thou into the joy of thy
Lord/ (St. Matthew, chap. xxv. 21.) In
these words two things are promised to
faithful servants, the most ample power and
the greatest joy: "I will place thee over
many things ;" and what these " many
things" are, He explains in another place
where it is said : " Blessed is that servant,
whom, when his Lord shall come, he shall
find so doing. Amen, I say to you, he
shall place him over all his goods." (chap,
xxiv. 46.) But what means being placed
"over all the goods" of the Lord, except to
receive power over all inferior things, and
to be made a partaker of that sovereignty
which God possesses over the whole uni
verse ? t Who can comprehend the great
ness of this power ? What king or empe
ror upon earth can be compared with the
least of ^the saints ?
But since man cannot possess such great
power without having great care and trou
ble, therefore our Lord adds: "Enter
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 215
into the joy of thy Lord." As if he wished
to say, " As I make thee a partaker of the
greatest power, so also dp I make thee
enjoy rest and pleasure, which no cares can
destroy or dimmish." How ^ great this
"joy" will be, which is promised to the
just in heaven, is quite inexplicable, nor
shall we know it before we have expe
rienced it. But yet, from the considera
tion of three words in the sentence, we may
in some measure conceive how great will
be the " joy." The first word is " enter; 9
for as it is not said, May the joy of thy
Lord enter into thee, but enter thou into
the joy of thy Lord, this is a proof that the
joy will be greater than we can conceive.
Wherefore, we shall enter into a great sea
of divine and eternal joy, which will fill us
within and without, and surround us on all
sides. In this abundance of joy, what room
will there be for sorrow ? Another word is
" into the joy," by which an indefinite joy
concerning this or that good is not pro
mised, but a joy absolutely pleasure itself,
sweetness itself, delight itself. And doth
not our whole soul dissolve as it were, being
surrounded with such sweetness ? But the
third word, " of thy Lord," greatly in
creases this joy ; for we shall enter, not
into the joy which men or angels possess,
but into that which God possesses, in whom
are all infinite riches. Who can conceive
what this joy of the Lord will be, but He
who perfectly knoweth His own infinite
216 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
goodness, and enjoys it in an infinite de
gree ? And yet, Christian soul ! what
thou canst not now conceive, tliou wilt ex
perience, and taste, and eternally enjoy,
if thou be a good and faithful servant.
Let us now consider to whom these pro
mises relate. They relate, without doubt,
to those who have faithfully endeavoured to
multiply the talents entrusted to them by
God. The parable is drawn from a rich
man, who went into a far countiy, and
delivered his goods to his servants. And
to one he gave five talents, and to another
two, and to another one, commanding them
all to multiply their talents by careful and
prudent business. Various are the opinions
of interpreters concerning the signification
of these " talents/ ^ Some understand by
them " blessings" given gratis; others the
Holy Scriptures ; others the knowledge of
external things acquired by the senses, is
meant by the five talents; that the two
talents signify understanding and action,
and the one talent understanding alone :
others, in fine, consider them to refer to
natural gifts, such as genius and judgment,
or to the spiritual ones of faith, hope,
and charity. But all agree in this, that
the multiplication of the talents consists in
labouring diligently for our own salvation
as well as that of others. But another ex
planation occurs to me, not repugnant to
the others, and which altogether appears to
agree with what our Lord says concerning
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 2IJ
the talents. And first, the talents are
called " the goods of the Lord ;" " He de
livered to them his goods;" then the ser
vants are commanded to multiply the
talents : " Lord, thou didst deliver to me
five talents, behold I have gained other five
over and above." Thirdly, it is said, "He
gave to every one according ^to his proper
ability." Lastly, the talent is taken away
from the wicked and slothful servant. I
therefore understand by the talents the
souls of faithful and pious men, entrusted
to the care and fidelity of bishops. These
are truly the "goods" of the Lord, which
are not given to us, but only committed to
our care to be multiplied. Our Lord did
not say to Peter, " Feed thy sheep," but
"Feed my sheep." Other things are our
own goods, although bestowed by God, as
genius, judgment, the Holy Scriptures,
blessings given gratis, &c. But faithful
and pious souls He calls His " goods," His
vineyard, His family, His spouse : for these
He came into the world, for their redemp
tion He poured out His blood, to gain these
He sent His apostles, to whom He said, "I
will make you to be fishers of men."
Now faithful souls are multiplied, when
bishops convert sinners by word and by
example. This St. Peter did when, after
our Saviour had entrusted to him one hun
dred and twenty Christians, saying, Feed
my sheep/ he converted on the day of
Pentecost, by his first sermon, three thou-
218 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
sand people, then five thousand, and after
wards many thousands. And St. Gregory
Thaumaturgus, when made bishop of Neo-
csesarea, found only seventeen Christians :
but he so multiplied them, that when he
was on the point of death only seventeen
infidels were left in so large a city: this cir
cumstance St. Gregory of Nyssa relates, in
his Life of St. Gregory Thaumaturgus.
But these talents are given to each one
6 according to his proper ability/ For
God who knoweth the strength that is,
the prudence, knowledge, charity, and
strength of all men, commits souls to those
only who He thinks are fit to bear such
a burden. And, therefore, no one ought
to undertake the care of souls, an<J espe
cially accept of the episcopacy, unless
called by Him who gives the talents, ac
cording to the ability of each one. But if
otherwise, we cannot wonder that many
fall under the burden : neither will it be an
excuse before God to say, that their
shoulders were not equal to such a burden:
He will answer, Who forced thee to bear
a burden beyond thy strength ? Didst thou
not wish, and ask, and endeavour to ob
tain it ? Now therefore thou shalt be cast
out into the exterior darkness.
In fine, the talent given to the slothful
servant is taken away from him. And if
we say, that the talents are the souls of the
faithful, this will perfectly agree with the
parable. For he who received only one
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 219
talent, that is, the care of his own soul
alone, will lose it if he neglect to take pro
per care of it: the devil will make it his
property. And as the blessed possess the
liberty of the sons of God, by which they
freely remain where they wish, and do
whatever they desire ; so on the contrary
also, the wicked lose all liberty, and their
hands and feet being bound, they can
neither walk where they wish, nor do what
ever they desire ; but they are compelled to
remain where they wish not, being unable
to do what they wish : this is, to lose their
soul. Wherefore this interpretation, in
which by the talents faithful souls are un
derstood, is quite consistent with the para
ble. But how the other opinions can be
reconciled, it is no easy matter to teach:
they are not, however, false on this ac
count, or to be rejected, because it is not
necessary to accommodate every explana
tion to the parable, as St. Chrysostom
wisely remarks."" We shall still continue
our exposition, not rejecting, as we have
said, the exposition of others.
Wherefore, our Lord has committed his
talents to three sorts of men ; to those who
are perfect, such as bishops ought to be,
He has given five talents, that is, a great
number of people to take care of ; to others
less perfect, such as priests generally are,
He has given two talents, that is, the fewer
* Homily 48th. on St. Matthew.
220 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
souls which are contained in a parish : but
to others more rude and infirm, such as the
common people, to each of them He has
f ven one, that is, the care of his own soul,
hese also ought, as far as they can, by
words of private exhortation and good ex
ample, to lead others from sin to the path of
virtue, and in this way multiply the talent
entrusted to them. And what is said of
bishops and priests, ought also to be under
stood as relating to princes and magis
trates, and fathers of families. Thus
writes St. Augustine : " Every head of a
family should be by his name, the paternal
love of his family. For the sake of Christ
and of eternal life, he should admonish,
instruct, exhort, and connect all his depen
dants: he should manifest love to them,
and likewise exercise discipline : thus in his
own house he will fulfil in a certain degree,
the spiritual office of a bishop.""" In this
sense, Constantino the Great used to say,
that he was a bishop out of the church,
because he was solicitous that the church
should be protected and extended: but
yet, he did not usurp the ecclesiastical
office.
But lest any one should suppose that
one man alone, or one class of men only is
comprehended in this parable, because he
alone who received the one talent was
punished, we must know, that our Lord
* (Tractatus 51, in Jofcan.)
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 221
wishes us to understand the dangers to
which superiors are exposed. For as at
the last day he will reward those who do
corporal works of mercy, and punish those
who do them not; from which we know
that greater will be the rewards of those who
perform spiritual works of mercy, espe
cially of the holy apostles and martyrs, and
virgins of heroic virtue ; and on the other
hand, that greater will be the punishment
of thieves, robbers, perjurers, and the sacri
legious, than those who give not alms to
the poor : so also in this passage, because
he who received the one talent which he
might easily have multiplied, and yet did
not, was most grievously punished, we
must understand, that in proportion as
bishops, pastors, and princes fail in this
point, so will they be punished the more
grievously, as the loss of many souls is
greater than that of one. Let us hear
what St. Augustine says on the danger of
the ecclesiastical state: "Above all things,
I beseech you piously and diligently to
reflect, that in this life and especially at
this time, nothing is more easy, pleasing,
and acceptable to men, than the office of a
bishop, priest, or deacon, if it be dis
charged in a careless or fawning manner ;
but before God nothing is more afflict
ing and offensive. Again, nothing in this
life and especially at this time, is more
difficult, laborious, and dangerous, than
the office of a bishop, priest, or deacon;
222 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
but before God nothing is more blessed, if
it be fulfilled in the manner our great king
commands/ In the remaining part of
this epistle he treats the subject in such
a manner that I wish all ecclesiastics
would attentively read it, and especially
those who rashly aspire to the episcopacy
or priesthood. For many when they have
obtained what they asked for, and found
what they sought after, either desert their
flock, or being intent on other things, care
little about attending to their flock and in
creasing the number of faithful and pious
souls. On the night of the birth of our
Saviour, the shepherds were keeping watch
over their flocks : and if this was done for
senseless sheep, by those who were a figure
of the shepherds of the church, how much
more ought it to be done by the shepherds
of that flock, for which our Saviour when
on earth, watched whole nights in prayer,
not for Himself certainly, but for His
sheep ? And if the patriarch Jacob laboured
so much for the flocks of his father-in-
law, Laban, that he should say, "Day
and night was I parched with heat, and
with frost, and sleep departed from my
eyes/ what Bought the shepherd of the
flock of Christ to do, for which He shed
His blood ? And if the devil goeth about
as a roaring lion seeking whom he may
devour, is it not proper that the good shep-
* Epist. 147. *d Valerium.
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 223
herd should also go about, seeking whom
to save ?
But it may be said, business connected
with the Church often compels one to
leave his flock. I admit this, when the
business is important, and only a short
time is spent in attending to it : otherwise
great things are to be preferred before less,
and the former should be performed by
ourselves, the latter by others. For it
business compels us to leave our nock
more important business, even dreadful
wars, compel us not to leave our flock de
fenceless. The trumpet of St. Paul sounds
forth: "Our wrestling is not against
flesh and blood, but against principali
ties and powers, against the rulers ot
the world of this darkness, against the
spirits of wickedness in the high places.
(Ephesians vi. 12.) And if the general be
absent, who shall teach the soldiers to ex
tinguish the fiery darts of the most wicked
one ? Our Lord said to Peter, and through
him to all pastors, " Feed my sheep:" He
was silent on other things, to teach us that
this duty was the chief duty % And in the
consecration of a bishop it is said, Go,
preach unto the people committed to thee;
but on temporal matters nothing is added,
that the bishop may be admonished, not to
make temporal things equal to spiritual,
much less to prefer the first before the lat
ter. In fine, in the fourth council of Car
thage, bishops are seriously commanded
224 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
not to undertake by themselves the care of
widows, minors, and strangers, but to
entrust them to their arch-priest or
deacon; not to undertake the settling of
wills, not to engage in law-suits for transi
tory things, not to be occupied with domes
tic cares; but to attend only to reading,
prayer, and preaching. Wherefore this
council, composed of two hundred and
fourteen bishops, at which St. Augustine
was also present, wished that bishops
should commit all temporal matters to
others, that they might more freely attend
to the care and increase of their flock.
As this parable therefore shows us, that
eternal happiness is an object especially to
be desired, since it contains the highest
power united with the greatest delight ; so
also it proves, that the means of arriving at
this happiness, consists in labouring assi
duously for the salvation of our own soul,
and in seeking and procuring that of
others. And they who refuse to endure
this labour, are deprived not only of this
happiness and pleasure, but are condemned
to eternal torments in hell, for thus our
Lord speaks^ "The unprofitable servant
cast ye out into the exterior darkness.
There^ shall be weeping and gnashing of
teeth." Here we should particularly no
tice, that the servant who is so severely
punished, is not said to be wicked or im
pious, but only " unprofitable. " Thus
although a bishop, or priest, a prince, or
ETERNAL II API - /NESS OF THE SAINTS. 225
magistrate, or head of a family, were free
from other crimes, yet should he be unpro
fitable, that is, neglectful of his salvation
and that of his subjects, he will be cast out
into " the exterior darkness/ &c. But if
the unprofitable servant shall suffer this
punishment, what will^ be done to the
covetous, proud, luxurious servant, ad
dicted to various vices? If the unprofi
table servant be condemned, what an ac
count will the impious prevaricator have to
give to God, of the talents entrusted to
him? Truly they that consider these
things, will not seek after high places ; and
if they should be compelled to receive
them, they will ever watch with fear and
trembling, as having to give a most strict
account of the souls entrusted to them.
CHAPTER V.
THE PARABLE OF THE SUPPER.
THE fifth parable, which is found in St.
Luke, makes the happiness of the saints
like to a great supper : and truly, not with
out reason. For in a nuptial or royal sup
per, every thing is found that can delight
the human sense, and exhibit the power,
riches, and ^ glory of this world. Where
fore , when king Assuerus ruled over a hun
dred and twenty-seven provinces, and
226 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
wished to display the riches of the glory of
his kingdom, and the greatness of his
power, he found nothing more adapted for
his purpose, than to prepare a most magni
ficent banquet. First, in a great banquet
the eyes are delighted with the costly orna
ments of the palace, with the numerous ser
vants clad in beautiful and precious^ robes,
with the gold and silver vases in which the
viands are carried ; the ears are delighted
with various musical instruments, and the
songs of many voices ; the sense of smell is
delighted with the odour of flowers, pre
cious ointment, and scented water, &c. ;
the sense of taste with viands of every de
scription, and precious wines from every
land ; in fine ; the sense of touch is charmed
by the softest and most elegant couches.
Wherefore, as in a royal or nuptial ban
quet, nearly every corporal good is found
that can be procured on earth, not without
reason did pur Lord, wishing to represent
that "happiness" which in itself includes
all good things, compare it to a great sup
per: of this we read in the Apocalypse:
"Blessed are they who are called to the
nuptial supper of the Lamb." We may
learn how great the supper of the Lord will
be, from this circumstance, that the beauty
of all the glorified bodies will be, the table
on which the last service is placed. But so
great is the sweetness of the last course,
that when St. Peter once saw the body^of
the Lord resplendent as the sun, he said,
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS 227
"It is good for us to be here." And if
these things be such, what will the supper
itself be, which consists in the enjoyment
of the divinity !
In fine, all the good things of this world
are nothing else than the rind and shell as
it were, of the fruits of paradise. And if
these * parings be such, that men are en
chanted with a love and desire for them,
what will the fruit itself of paradise be !
And if the fruit be such, what will the more
solid and excellent food be ! Truly it will
be such, as always to be eaten without
satiety, always to be desired. But we must
not suppose, that the supper in heaven will
be such as great princes give here on earth
at their espousals ; in heaven we shall be
as the angels of God ; "we shall neither
marry, nor be married/ nor shall we stand
in need of food to support life. The supper
therefore will consist of spiritual ricnes,
and delights, and glory, and ornament,
suitable to the state of the blessed. Riches
and delights are mentioned in this life, be
cause we see not things more excellent.
But from these we may learn, that the
spiritual supper will be so superior to our
most splendid banquets, as heaven is to
earth, and as God who will prepare it, is
above all mortals in power and majesty.
But some one will say, Why is the hap
piness of the saints compared to a supper,
rather than to a dinner? The reason is
this ; because dinner is taken at mid-day
228 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
and after it business is attended to till
evening: but supper is taken towards
evening, when all business is finished, and
afterwards come rest and sleep. Where
fore in another parable which is found in
St. Matthew, respecting the Incarnation
of our Lord, dinner is introduced on ac
count of the marriage which the king made
for his son. The reason is, because our
Lord s Incarnation, and the marriage with
His spouse the Church, were commenced
at mid-day, that is, a long while before the
end of the world. After dinner, the re
demption of the world, and the reconcilia
tion of man with God, were celebrated.
But when the bride shall be conducted to
the palace of the bridegroom, and to the
nuptial supper, all business will cease, and
the sweetest sleep shall follow, that is,
there will be eternal rest. This therefore
is the reason, why the perfect glory of the
blessed is compared to a supper, rather
than to a dinner.
But it will be useful to consider what we
must do, in order to be admitted to the
supper. This our Lord plainly teaches us
in the parable, for He saith : " A certain
man made a great supper and invited
many And they began all at once to
make excuse. The first said to him: I
have bought a farm, and I must needs go
out and see it : I pray thee, hold me ex
cused. And another said : I have bought
five yoke of oxen, and I go to try them : I
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 229
pray thee hold me excused. And another
said : I have married a wife, and therefore
I cannot come/ (St. Luke xiv.) How
wonderful ! Men are invited by God to
the nuptial supper, and they refuse ! What
would they do if they were called to mili
tary service, or to undertake a long and
dangerous journey ? Such is the blindness
of men, that they can scarcely be induced
to believe what they do not see. But what
is that which mortals prefer before the nup
tial supper, that is, before their greatest,
eternal good ? Our Lord mentions three
impediments to salvation, which of their
own nature are not evil ; but yet, too great
an affection for them hinders our eternal
salvation. To buy a farm, to try oxen, to
marry a wife, are not sinful : but to prefer
them before the kingdom of heaven, is an
incredible blindness. And yet, there are
many Christians who pursue temporal
goods with such ardour ; and honours, dig
nity, and power, signified in the purchase
of the farm ; and riches, signified by the
oxen ; and pleasure, by t?he marriage ; that
they spend days and nights in seeking and
enjoying them, entirely forgetting those
eternal rewards which God hath promised
to them that love Him. And many are
not content with purchasing farms, trying
yokes of oxen, and marrying ; but in order
as it were, more completely to neglect their
salvation, they seize the farms of other
men steal their oxen, and support concu-
230 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
bines: nor do they ever consider what a
misfortune it will be, for such husks of
swine to be deprived of the supper of the
Lord. Truly, if our Lord had promised
to us ^ worms of the earth, not a sup
per of infinite sweetness, but crumbs falling
from that table ; even then it would be ad
vantageous for us to despise all temporal
goods, that so we might possess those
crumbs. ^What madness therefore is it, to
prefer insignificant and fleeting pleasures,
before this divine supper, which abounds
with every eternal delight, and in which we
shall sit down with the holy angels, and
even with the King of Angels in heaven !
After our Lord hath shown us what are
the impediments to our being present at
the great supper, He also added the means
by which they may be removed : He con
tinues in the parable: " Then the master
of the house being angry, said to his ser
vant : Go out quickly into the streets and
lanes of the city, and bring in hither the
poor and the feeble, and the blind and the
lame." Because the rich were occupied in
buying farms, and oxen, and marrying,
they refused to attend the supper of their
great Master. He therefore calls the poor,
who have neither money to purchase farms
and oxen, nor are able to support their
wives, if they can find any. He calls the
feeble, who cannot visit farms, nor buy
oxen, nor marry wives : He calls the blind,
who cannot see farms, nor manage oxen
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 231
nor easily find a wife: He calls the lame,
who cannot without the greatest difficulty,
walk to a farm, manage oxen, or dance at
a marriage. These therefore being free
from every impediment by which the others
are bound, and being admitted to the sup-
per, ( ought justly to rejoice that God made
them feeble, and blind, and lame. Many
in this life complain, that they were born
poor, or that they are often infirm, or blind,
or lame, and they appear to be most un
happy thereat. But they know not what
good things God hath prepared for them
hereafter, on account of that very affliction
which men call "misfortune:" but if they
did know, they would certainly be glad
and rejoice. No one ought to complain of
the providence of God, but in all things
give thanks to God the best of Fathers,
who taketh care of us : to His will we
should always resign ourselves.
But although we must thus act, yet in
this place those are properly considered
poor, who are poor in spirit, not in riches ;
who are infirm, not in strength, but in con
fidence in themselves ; who are blind, not
in sight, but to craftiness ; who are lame,
not in their feet, but in their affections. I
will explain my meaning more plainly.
The poor who are admitted to the supper of
the Lord, are those who hearing the words
of the Apostle, do not wish to become rich:
and if they possess money, do not hoard it
up, nor spend it in vanity, but in doing
232 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
what the Holy Spirit speaks by the mouth
of David : " He hath distributed, he hath
given to the poor; his justice remaineth for
ever and ever." The infirm are those who
confide not in their virtue, nor glory in
their strength. The blind are they who
truly believe what they do not see, espe
cially as regards the rewards of the just,
and the torments of the wicked. For he
who is truly persuaded, that the rewards of
the blessed are indeed most glorious and
eternal, and the torments of the wicked
most dreadful and everlasting, will not cer
tainly be attached to the earth nor to its
goods, ^ but will fix his heart there, where
alone is true joy. In fine, the lame are
those and they can justly aspire to the
supper of the Lord whose right foot is
much longer than the left ; that is, whose
love of God and affection for eternal goods,
are greater than the love of themselves and
of temporal things, signified by the left
foot.
But let us consider the sentence of our
great Master, against those who blindly
and most foolishly despised His Supper:
" But I say unto you, that none of those
men that were invited shall taste of my
supper." Our Lord knew well, that they
who had been invited, and who through
love for present goods despised the future
ones as useless, would hunger after that
supper with an incredible ardour when the
senses of the flesh were extinct in death,
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 233
and all earthly things had been removed:
for the prophet David saith : " They shall
return at evening, and shall suffer hunger
like dogs ; and shall go round about the
city/ (Psalm Iviii.) At evening, when
the day of this present life is finished, they
will return and repent, but their sorrow will
be useless, and they will be hungry like
mad dogs, and go round about the City of
God, seeking to obtain, if they can, a few
crumbs from that supper. But the sen
tence of the Lord is fixed " None of them
shall taste of my supper/
! if thou didst know, my soul, the
meaning of these words, "None of them
shall taste of my supper;" if thou couldst
comprehend how great will be the hunger
of those miserable men, and of what sweet
food they will for ever be deprived ! And
what would they then give, if they could but
taste of that for which they so ardently
long ? But nought will they obtain, even
if the whole world were at their disposal,
and they were willing to renounce it. Since
then this is the case, let us be converted
whilst we have time, whilst it is our day,
whilst penance is profitable. Let us now
hunger after that most delicious supper,
not as mad and unclean dogs, who think
of nothing but of their food, but as men
endowed with reason ; let us hunger after
the food of eternal life, and the bread of
angels, even that hidden manna " which no
one knoweth but he that receiveth/ and
234 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
which God Himself enjoveth from eternity
unto eternity. And letAis so live in this
our exile, as not to be in love with it,
but to sigh after our true country. When
we shall have arrived there, we shall not be
obliged to " go round about" the city, but
we shall enter the open gate ; and being
admitted to the supper of the Lord, we
shall be filled with the bread of life and the
water of wisdom, a most sweet and pleasant
food.
CHAPTER VI.
THE PARABLE OF THE WISE AND FOOLISH VIRGINS.
THE last parable is that which makes the
happiness of the saints like to a royal mar
riage, to which ten virgins were invited,
five being wise and five foolish. We shall
first briefly explain who is the bride, and
who the bridegroom; then how excellent
a good is signified by the word "marriage;"
and lastly, what is required for our attain
ing so great an object.
First then, no one can doubt but that
Christ is the bridegroom. This is expressed
by St. John the Baptist, where speaking of
Christ he says : "He that hath the bride,
is the bridegroom ; but the friend of the
bridegroom, who standeth and heareth him,
rejoiceth with joy because of the bride
groom s voice." Our Lord Himself also
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 235
intimates the same in the parable of the king
who made a marriage for his son. The
Apostle confirms the same, in his Epistle to
the Corinthians : " I have espoused you to
one husband, that I may present you as a
chaste virgin to Christ/ So also does St.
John in the Apocalypse : " Let us be glad
and rejoice, and give glory to him ; for the
marriage of the Lamb is come, and his
wife hath prepared herself:" and again,
(( Blessed are they that are called to the
marriage supper of the Lamb." It is
equally certain, that the Church is the
bride. This the Apostle clearly asserts in
his Epistle to the Ephesians: " Therefore
as the Church is subject to Christ, so also
let the wives be to their husbands in all
things. Husbands, love your wives, as
Christ also loved the Church, and deli
vered himself up for it, that he might
sanctify it For this cause shall a man
leave his father and mother, and shall cleave
to his wife, and they shall be two in one
flesh. ^ This is a great sacrament ; but I
speak in Christ and in the Church." (chap.
v. 24, &c.)
But although the Church be the spouse
of Christ, and the faithful be called the
Sons of the Church, because by baptism
she has brought them forth, as it were, for
Christ ; yet, because the Church is nothing
more than an assembly of the faithful,
therefore all pious souls are individual
spouses, as the Church is an universal
236 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
spouse. For not falsely doth the Church
sing of holy virgins, " Come, spouse of
Christ, and receive -the crown which the
Lord hath prepared for thee for ever/ But
although holy virgins are, in a special man
ner, called spouses of Christ, because they
have rejected a carnal marriage, in order
to be spiritually married to Christ alone ;
yet other Christian souls are also " spouses"
of Christ, for they are espoused to Him by
faith, united to Him by charity, and aspire
to a consummation of the spiritual marriage
in the kingdom of heaven.
But if we could sufficiently conceive
what a good it will be for the human soul
to be united with marriage in Christ, we
should find nothing more honourable,
nothing more useful, nothing more sweet,
either in this world or in the next. Great
is the glory, advantage, and sweetness in
serving the King of kings ; greater to be
numbered amongst his friends and domes
tics ; the greatest to be called a son of God
and the brother of Christ. But to become
the " spouse" of God, a partner of His
throne, of His crown, and of all His titles,
appears to me to be more than the greatest,
if I may so speak. This it is of which our
Lord speaks in Isaias concerning spiritual
eunuchs : l I will give to them in my house,
and within my walls, a name better than
sons and daughters ;" that is, I will give to
them the name of a spouse. Who can com
prehend, how noble, how honourable and
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 237
sweet it will be, not only to behold God
and to converse with him, but to become
one spirit with Him, and to be transformed
into Him? These are the words of the
Apostle : " He who is joined to a harlot, is
made one body But he who is joined to
the Lord, is one spirit :" and again, "But
we all beholding the glory of the Lord with
open face, are transformed into the same
image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit
of the Lord/ (2 Epist. to the Corinth, iii.
18.) How great will be the pleasure, when
being united to God and irradiated by the
brightness of His countenance, we shall be
transformed into His brightness, and made
most like unto Him ! " We shall be like
to him/ saith St. John, " because we shall
see him as he is." We shall be like to
Him, not only as images created according
to His likeness ; but like in glory, in beati
tude, in happiness. St. Paul the apostle,
in that wonderful rapture he had when he
was caught up into paradise/ heard secret
words which it was not in the power of man
to utter ; and yet he was so absorbed in
God, that he knew not whether he was in
the body or out of the body. How great,
therefore, will be that most happy union of
the soul with God, when absorbed and im
mersed in the sea of His sweetness, she
will be "one spirit" with God ! So great
will be the joy, that as St. Bernard says,
" All other joy compared with it will be sor
row all sweetness will be bitterness ; all
238 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
honour, dishonour ; whatever else, in fine,
can delight us, will be troublesome."* But
since this union of the most beautiful spouse
with a blessed soul be ineffable, let us rather
inquire from the present parable what are
the conditions on which we can be admitted
to this most happy marriage ? These we
shall learn from the qualities of the wise
virgins, for they alone entered into the nup
tials of the heavenly spouse. The qualities
or conditions are five ; first, that we be vir
gins ; secondly, that we be prudent; thirdly,
that we have our lamp lighted ; fourthly,
that we have oil in it ; and lastly, that we
watch, and by watching diligently await
the coming of the bridegroom.
As far as regards the first condition, the
spouses of Christ ought all to be virgins,
not necessarily in the flesh, but in faith and
morals, as St. Augustine justly explains
in his Sermon on these words of the Apos
tle : ( ( I have espoused you to one husband,
that I may present you as a chaste virgin
to Christ." By a chaste virgin he under
stands the whole Church of Corinth, in
which it is evident that all were not virgins
in the flesh, since the Apostle in his First
Epistle admonishes married people of their
duties. ^ In this parable, therefore, all those
are virgins who are not corrupted in their
faith and morals, and who, declining
from evil, do not defile their souls. But,
* Epistle 114.
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 239
because it is not sufficient for perfect
justice to decline from evil, but also to
do good, therefore the second condition
is added, that we be prudent, not fool
ish. Nor must we think it sufficient,
if we injure no one, nor kill any one, nor
steal, nor bear false testimony ; but we
must consider our last end, and adopt the
means to attain it. And because this end
is eternal life, and the means the merit of
good works, therefore the third condition is
added, that our lamp be lighted, which sig
nifies good works. This St. Augustine
teaches in the above-mentioned place, and
our Lord Himself, where He says : "So let
your light shine before men, that they may
see your good works, and glorify your leather
who is in heaven/
But since good works spring from charity
as from a root, and cannot be preserved
unless nourished by the same charity, as a
lamp necessarily goes out if oil be wanting;
therefore, a fourth condition is required,
that the prudent virgin always have oil in
her lamp. ^ St. Augustine teaches that
charity is signified by oil, because, as oil is
superior to all liquids, so charity is superior
to all virtues, according to the Apostle :
"And I show unto you yet a more excellent
way;" and again: "And now there remain
faith, hope, charity, these three ; but the
greater of these is charity. 3 If, there
fore, we should prefer anything in our heart,
or make it equal with charity, immediately
240 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
she departs ; for she ought either to have .
the first place, and reign in our heart, or
she will leave us. And because oil is a
most subtile liquid, which easily ascends
above other things, the power of the oil of
charity is so great in ascending, that if it
be poured out on the soul of a public sin
ner, immediately it draws that soul up, and
of a sinner makes a saint, of a carnal man
makes a spiritual man. I will even venture
to say, that if this oil were poured on the
souls of the damned, or could drop on the
devils themselves, we should immediately
behold them all ascend on high. And if,
on the contrary, this oil were to desert the
souls of the holy angels, apostles, martyrs,
and virgins, they would quickly descend
down into hell. Behold, then, the excellence
of this oil, and how justly those virgins are
called foolish who have not this oil. But
there is also another reason why charity is
signified by oil, because it maketh things
that are hard and rough soft and pliable.
This oil renders the yoke sweet, of which
our Lord speaks, "My yoke is sweet." What
made the yoke of obedience sweet to the
Apostles, of going into the whole world and
preaching the Gospel to every creature, but
the oil of charity ? What made the yoke
of patience sweet to the martyrs, to endure
so great and unheard of torments, but the
oil of chanty ? What made the yoke of
poverty, of chastity, and of obedience, so
sweet to many thousands of religious men
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 241
and women, but the yoke of charity ? No
thing is more sweet to a lover than to show
his love for his Beloved by doing or endu
ring great and difficult things for his sake.
There now remaineth a fifth condition,
which is the most important of all, being
especially commanded by our Lord in this
parable, viz., watchfulness: "Watch ye
therefore, because you know not the clay
nor the hour." And in order that these
words may be deeply impressed upon the
hearts of the faithful, He constantly repeats
Watch;" and again, in St. Matthew:
"Wherefore, be you also ready, because at
what hour you know not the Son of man
will come ;" and in St. Mark : " Watch ye
therefore, for you know not when the Lord
of the house cometh : at even, or at mid
night, or at the cock crowing, or in the
morning ; lest coming on a sudden, he find
you sleeping. And what I say to you I say
to all : Watch." And in St. Luke : " Bless
ed are those servants whom the Lord when
he cometh shall find watching." And by
the apostle Peter He speaketh : " Be pru
dent therefore, and watch in prayer ;" and
by St. Paul also : Therefore let us not
sleep, as others do ; but let us watch and
be sober;" and by St. John: "Behold I
come as a thief: blessed is he that watch-
eth." All these passages signify, that the
coming of the Lord to judgment, whether
at the end of the world, or at each one s
death in particular, is uncertain; and
242 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
therefore God requires of us that we should
always watch, waiting in expectation of His
coming, that so He may find us prepared,
and may not be compelled to exclude us,
with the foolish virgins, from the marriage-
feast. Wherefore, to " sleep" meaneth
nothing more than to be careless of death
and judgment, or so to live as never to care
or think of so important a matter, on which
dependeth eternal salvation. But corporal
sleep is not forbidden the faithful, other
wise it would not be said in the parable,
l They all slumbered and slept :" only
forgetfulness and want of consideration are
forbidden.
Every Christian therefore, to whom the
salvation of his soul is dear, ought every
day, morning and evening, shutting the
door of his heart against all other business,
attentively consider that this day or night
may possibly be his last : and therefore he
should seriously watch, lest he be found
unprepared. All men dislike the thought
of death, and gladly turn their mind to the
consideration of something else; but the
sick man dislikes the bitter physic, and yet
through love of life he willingly takes it.
So also it behoves a prudent man to esteem
the loss of his soul more than the fear of
death ; and therefore, again and again, he
should think that there is no hour in which
he may not die. For when this thought
deeply descends into the bottom of our
heart, it will soon change the whole
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 243
and from, carnal make him spiritual, from
a sinner a saint : so that he will no more
fear, but love the coming of the Lord. Not
without reason, then, does our Lord so fre
quently exhort us to watch, nor Ecclesias-
ticus to admonish us : " In all thy works
remember thy last end, and thou shalt never
sin." (chap, vii.) For who, remembering
that he is hastening to judgment, and that
quickly he will have to stand before the
divine tribunal, can dare to sin before his
Judge ? We are all hastening every mo
ment to judgment; but yet, so great is
human blindness, that even on the journey
itself we offend our Judge, and most justly
provoke His anger against us. Who is
there, when condemned to suffer death, and
being led out to execution, would laugh
and joke, and speak of his former crimes, or
of attaining dignities, and gaining money
by traffic, unless he were mad ? Now, we
are all certainly condemned to death, nor
can any son of Adam escape the sen
tence: our mortal life is nothing but a
journey towards death: but yet, on this
journey, which cannot be a long one, how do
the generality of Christians act ? What
do they think of, what do they speak of,
what are they busy about, but honours,
riches, pleasures, and even wickedness,
as^ if they would never die ! And what is
this but to sleep over serious things, and to
watch over foolish things ?
Justly, then, doth our Lord cry out:
244 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
" Watch, watch;" blessed are those who,
excited by these words, reflect where they
are, and whither they are going, and so
endeavour to have their lamp burning and
filled with oil, that when the cry shall be
heard, " Behold the spouse cometh, go ye
forth to meet him/ they may with joy run
forth to meet the Bridegroom, and enter
with him into the marriage. Bat woe to
them who, forgetful of this, and deaf to the
voice of God, shall be found sleeping with
their lamps extinguished: being excluded
from the delights of the marriage-feast,
they will in vain exclaim, "Lord, Lord, open
unto us/
CHAPTER VII.
ON THE PRIZE.
HAVING explained a few of the parables
which are to be found in the gospel, there
now only remains the explanation of those
names which are used in St. Paul s First
Epistle to the Corinthians; these are the
"Prize" and "Crown." Of the former
the Apostle thus speaks : " Know you not
that they that run in the race, all run
indeed, but one receive th the prize ; so run
that you may obtain." (chap. ix. 24.) The
same Apostle in his Epistle to the Corin
thians teaches, that by the "prize" eternal,
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 245
happiness is signified; he says, " But one
thing I do, forgetting the things that are
behind, and stretching forth myself to those
that are before, I press towards the mark,
to the prize of the supernal vocation of God
in Christ Jesus/ (chap. iii. 13, 14. Where
fore the prize is in heaven, and to it the
Almighty invites us ^by His Son Christ
Jesus. The prize which the kings of this
world offer us, is no very valuable object ;
but our " heavenly prize" is in every way
most glorious, whether we consider God
who promises it, a Prince of infinite power
and glory, of whom the prophet sings, " Thy
magnificence is elevated above the hea
vens ;" or whether we remember, that the
combatants are His children and the bro
thers of Christ, whom the^ King their
Father, would not certainly invite to run
in the race, unless the prize was so great
that it might justly be desired, even by the
sons of God.
But it is more important for us to know,
what is the meaning of running for the
prize, and by what art we may so run as to
be able to gain it. To run for the prize
means nothing more, than faithfully to ob
serve all the commandments of the Lord
our God. That the " race 7 signifies the
law of the Lord, David testifies where he
says, " Blessed are the undefiled in the
way, who walk in the law of the Lord I
have run the way of thy commandments,
when thou didst enlarge my heart." (Psalm
240 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
cxviii.) Wherefore, they who run "the
way" of the commandments, run in the
race for the prize. Now the art of so run
ning that we may gain the prize, includes
three points : First, we must not go out of
the course, for they who do so, however
quickly they may run, will never reach the
foal, because they run not for the prize,
ut at an uncertainty. This the Apostle
tells us he carefully avoided; " I therefore
so run, not as at an uncertainty." What
is it to run out of the race, except not to
run in the way of the commandments, and
to turn aside to the right or to the left ? For
example : the law says, " Thou shalt love
thy neighbour as thyself;" he that does this,
runs in the race and for the prize. But he
who loves his neighbour with so great a
love as not to fear offending God for his
sake, he turns aside to the right and runs
out of the race ; he runs not for the prize,
but at an uncertainty. And the more
benefits he bestows upon that individual
who becomes an "idol" to him, the more
does he wander, and the farther does he
depart from the prize. But on the other
hand, he that loves not his neighbour as
much as he ought to do, and when he sees
him in want, and " shuts up his bowels from
him," as St. John expresses it, then he
turns aside to the left, and neither runs in
the race nor for the prize, even though he
should appear to perform many good works.
We must, therefore, love our neighbours as
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 247
ourselves, neither more nor less ; _ that is,
we ought so to act towards our neighbour,
as to do to him, what we should wish to be
done to ourselves. This is the explanation
given by Christ our teacher, who gave the
commandment. What I have said con
cerning the love of our neighbour, which is
the positive command, may also be said of
the negative commands. For he that steals,
declines to the right of the commandment,
" Thou shalt not steal/ and thus turns
aside from the course ; he however that
steals not, but squanders away his own
substance, declines to the left, and in like
manner turns aside from the course. But
the just man, who alone remains in the
course, would no less depart from it if he
stole, than if he squandered his goods, be
cause liberality, which relates to justice,
has two opposite vices, avarice and prodi
gality. The conclusion is, that he who
wishes to remain in the race, must be
entirely free from mortal sin.
The second condition is, that he who
wishes to gain the prize, must run quickly
and with perseverance. He runs quickly,
who observes the "commandments" with a
fervent will, according to the words of the
Psalmist, " Blessed is the man that feareth
the Lord, in His commands he delights
exceedingly;" and the Apostle says, "Fer
vent in spirit serving the Lord." He runs
with perseverance, who is never fatigued
nor ceases running, knowing what is writ-
248 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
ten, " He only that perseveres to the end
shall be saved/ But to run quickly, not
to be fatigued, nor to interrupt our course
these seem almost contrary to one another,
or at least very difficult ; for he that runs
quickly, is soon fatigued and ceases run
ning ; whilst he that wishes not to be tired,
goes slowly and perseveres on his course at
a moderate pace. These remarks are true,
and therefore few arrive at the prize. It is,
however, absolutely necessary for him that
wishes to gain the prize, to run both quickly
and with perseverance, because the time is
short and the way is long. But if Chris
tians wish to imitate those that run for a
corruptible crown, they can easily run
quickly and without intermission for " an
incorruptible crown." What do those do
who contend for the corruptible prize?
They carry nothing burthensome, they cast
off their garments, that so they may run
free and unencumbered. This, therefore,
should Christians do ; they should cast off
the burthens of worldly cares, and the gar
ments of carnal desires, or at least every
inordinate affection to earthly goods. And
when this is done, they must glory not in
their own strength, but place all their hope
in God ; then they will not be fatigued by
running quickly in the race. This is not
my doctrine, but that of Isaias and St.
Paul ; the former thus speaks : "But they
that hope in the Lord shall renew their
strength They shall run and not be
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 249
weary, they shall walk and not faint."
(chap. xl. 31.) And the Apostle writes:
" This therefore I say brethren, the time is
short; it remaineth, that they also who
have wives, be as if they had none. And
they that weep, as though they wept not ;
and they that rejoice, as if they rejoiced not ;
and they that buy, as though they possessed
not. And they that used this world, as if
they used it not; for the fashion of this
world passeth away." (1 Epist. to Corinth,
vii. 29, <fcc.) By these words, the Apostle
does not forbid Christians from marrying,
nor from weeping in adversity, nor rejoicing
in prosperity, nor purchasing necessary
things, or using the goods of this world ;
but he admonishes us, in all these things to
use that moderation, and to be as little
attached to them, as if they did not belong
to us.
The devout Melania is an example for us
in this respect; she was a noble Roman
lady, of whom St. Jerome thus speaks in
his Epitaph on Blosilla : " St.. Melania is
a pattern of true nobility among the Chris
tians of our time ; for whilst the corpse of
her husband was still warm, not yet being
buried, she lost her two sons together. I
am^about to relate a thing almost incredi
ble, but Christ is my witness it is not false.
Who would not suppose that she would tear
her hair, her garments, and strike her
breast, like one mad ? but not one tear did
she shed, she stood unmoved, and throwing
250 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
herself at the feet of Christ, as if she ac
tually embraced Him, she smiled saying,
" More freely shall I now serve thee,
Lord, because thou hast delivered me from
so great a burthen/ Thus St. Jerome,
who by this example shows us who those
are that have wives, and children, and
other goods of this world, as if they had
them not, in order that they might run for
the prize more freely. But we have a still
more moving example in holy Job, who in
one day lost all his sons and daughters, as
well as his whole substance ; and thus he
lay full of ulcers on a dunghill, who a little
while before, was esteemed most happy
among all the Orientals. And yet, as if all
these misfortunes did not concern him, he
uttered these words so full of wisdom:
" Naked came I out of my mother s womb,
and naked shall I return thither ; the Lord
gave and the Lord hath taken away ; as it
hath pleased the Lord, so is it done ;
blessed be the name of the Lord." (chap. i.
21.) In fine, St. Peter and the other Apos
tles who first folio wed^ Christ in running for
the prize, that they might teach us what is
required in the same race, thus speak:
Behold we have left all things, and have
followed thee; what therefore shall we
have ?" our Lord approving what they had
clone, thus answers, clearly promising them
the prize : " Amen, I say to you, that you
who have followed me, in the regeneration,
when the Son of man shall sit on the seat of
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 251
his majesty, you also shall sit on twelve
seats, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."
(St. Matthew xix. 28.)
The third condition is, that he who wishes
for the prize, must be united with Christ.
For as the Apostle saith, " All run indeed,
but one receiveth the prize;" now this
<f one" is doubtless our Saviour, who " hath
rejoiced as a giant to run the way ;" and of
Him St. John speaks : " And no man hath
ascended into heaven, but he that descended
from heaven, the Son of man who is in
heaven." (chap. iii. 13.) But Christ hath
not ascended alone, but with all those who
were " one" with Him ; that is, who were
true and living members of His body, of
which He is the head. Wherefore all who
run labour in vain, even though they should
give all their goods to the poor, and deliver
their body to be burned, unless they are
joined to Christ by faith and charity, and
become one with Him, as He says in St.
John, " That they may be one, as we also
are one, I in them, and thou in me, that
they may be made perfect in one." (chap,
xvii. 22.)
But there is also another way of being
united with Christ, which in a wonderful
manner helps us to run quickly and with
perseverance. Christ as man ran for the
prize, although as God He is the "prize"
itself; He is " true God and life eternal,"
as St. John testifies; and this also our
Saviour himself tells us, " I am the way,
252 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
and the truth, and the life. 5 As the truth,
He guides us ; as the way, He leads us
after Him; as the life, He brings us to
Himself. In order to obtain the prize then,
nothing is more useful than, for us never to
turn away our eyes from Him, but to ex
claim with the prophet : " My eyes are ever
towards the Lord/ He that keeps the eye
of his soul united with his prize, neither
sees nor hears what his neighbours say or
do, whether they smile or mock at him ; he
heeds not the opinions of others, whether
they praise or dispraise him ; but he says
with David, " And I became as a man
that heareth not; 3 and with the Apostle,
"But to me it is a very small thing to be
judged by you, or by man s day." The
nearer he approaches the prize, the more
does he see the greatness of it; and this
greatness gives him additional strength,
and induces him though wearied and faint
ing, not to interrupt his course. Wherefore,
whoever aspires ^ after this heavenly prize,
must not turn aside from the course of the
divine commands, he must run quickly and
with perseverance; and being joined to
Christ with true faith and charity, he must
never turn away his eyes from the prize.
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 253
CHAPTER VIII.
ON THE CROWN.
THE last name given to eternal happiness,
is " a crown of justice/ of which St. Paul
thus speaks in the same chapter that he
mentions the prize : " And every one that
striveth for the mastery, refraineth himself
from all things : and they indeed that they
may receive a corruptible crown ; but we
an incorruptible one." (1 Corinth, ix. 25.)
In this passage by the word " mastery/ is
not meant the race in the course, but rather
a contest or battle ; and that this compa
rison is different from the former, the words
following prove : " I therefore so run, not
as at an uncertainty : I so fight, not as one
beating the air:" and so also do these
words addressed to Timothy : "I have
fought a good fight, I have finished my
course, I have kept my faith. As to the
rest, there is laid up for me a crown of jus
tice/ <fcc. (2 to Timothy, iv. 7.) .In both
these passagq St. Paul distinguishes the
course from the fight ; and in one of the
comparisons he uses the word " prize," and
in the other the word " crown," which
names are evidently distinct.
Now by the "crown" is meant eternal
happiness, and this is called by St. Paul
" a crown of justice," because it is given as
254 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
a reward for good works. In St. James s
Epistle it is called " the crown of life," be
cause it comprehends life eternal. By St.
Peter it is named " a never-fading crown
of glory." In fine, the prophet Isaias says:
" In that day the Lord of hosts shall be a
crown of glory, and a garland of joy to the
residue of his people, "(xxviii. 5.) From this
passage we may conclude, that the crown
of which St. Paul speaks, and which is
given to the victorious in battle, is a prize
most high and noble, since God Himself
will be the crown encircling and adorn
ing the heads of the residue of His people
that is, of those few among His people who
shall gain the victory, by having been
valiant in war. And as ( many are called,
but few are chosen" a truth evident from
the testimony of Scripture ; so the crown of
the Saints will be the more glorious in the
day ^ of judgment, because so few will
obtain it.
Let us now consider what is the nature
of the contest we are engaged in, and what
we must do to gain the victory. The con
test indeed is most terrible, and the strug
gle most dangerous, espec^illy if it be
compared with that contest in which men
on earth engage, for a corruptible crown.
The Apostle alludes to the games of the
circus, which took place in the presence of
the people. ^ But the combatants fought
with men like themselves, and used the
same weapons, and were equally exposed to
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE AINTS. 255
the danger of popular derision or ignominy.
But Christians have to fight with enemies
whom they see not, and by whom they
themselves are observed: they are most
numerous, strong, and crafty ; their arms
are not alike ; the contest is carried on be
fore God and his angels, and for a crown
of life eternal, and at the risk of incurring
-everlasting death : in fine, the contest is
not easy or imaginary, but real and most
dreadful. Our antagonists are demons,
whom the Scripture at one time names
lions and at another, dragons and basi
lisks. And we also have traitors in our
own houses that is, in our bodies, the
concupiscence of the flesh which wars
against the spirit, as St. Peter saith:
"Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers
and pilgrims, to refrain yourselves from
carnal desires which war against the soul/
(1 Epist. xi.) Moreover, what is still most
miserable, this contest takes place at the
same time that we run in the race : and
therefore the Apostle joins these two toge
ther that we may know how, whilst running
for the prize, we are impeded throughout
our whole course by these enemies, and
hence that we must both run and fight at
the same time. ! if Christians did but
consider these truths and know their true
condition, truly they would not so easily
squander away their time in temporal
trifles, in jokes, plays, and banquets ; in
accumulating money and seeking after
256 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OR THE
honours, as if their chief happiness con
sisted in these things : but they would lis
ten to the Apostle crying out to them :
" Therefore take unto you the armour of
God, that you may be able to resist in the
evil day, and to stand in all things perfect.
Stand therefore, having your loins girt
about with truth, and having on the breast
plate of justice. And in all things taking*
the shield of faith, wherewith you may be
able to extinguish all the fiery darts of the
most wicked one. And take unto you the
helmet of salvation, and the sword of the
Spirit, (which is the word of God.) By
all prayer and supplication praying at all
times in the Spirit/ &c. (Epist. to Ephe-
sians, vi. 13, &c.) ! what an exhortation
is this ; how full of terror how earnest !
especially if we ponder on the words, " By
all prayer and supplication, praying at all
times." And yet, how many of us so act as
if we neither had to run in the race, nor
fight in the battle !
And now, I ask, what is to be done, that
we prove victorious in such a dreadful con
test ? St. Paul tells us when he says : "And
every one that striveth for the mastery, re-
fraineth himself from all things: and they
indeed that they may receive a corruptible
crown ; but we an incorruptible one/ The
meaning of these words is this : those com
batants, that they might obtain a cor
ruptible crown, abstain from all those things
which might weaken their body, and render
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 257
them unfit to engage in such a ludicrous
contest, viz., from excessive eating and
drinking, from carnal delights, from domes
tic cares, and from all other things, however
pleasant or useful, which might retard or
prevent the victory. We therefore who
labour for " an incorruptible crown," ought
much more to refrain from every thing that
may weaken our soul, and render it unfit
for that terrible fight, and for running the
race in the course. And what things weaken
the soul ? Excessive eating, indulgence in
sleep, too frequent visiting, hunting, bois
terous laughter and singing ; not reading
good books, not praying, not meditating,
not bewailing our sins, nor bringing forth
worthy fruits of ^ penance. From these
ought we to abstain, if we wish our soul to
be strong and fit to run in the race and
fight in battle. " Take heed," saith our
Saviour, " lest your hearts be overcharged
with surfeiting and drunkenness, and the
cares of this life, and that day come upon
you suddenly." But on the other hand,
the food of the soul which makes it strong,
is fasting ; the refreshment of the soul is
prayer; the sleep of the soul holy contem
plation; the purgation from noxious
humours an humble confession of our
sins ; the joy and delight of the soul tears
of compunction ; and the triumph of the
soul, the crucifixion of the flesh and the
concupiscence thereof. " They that are
Christ s," saith St. Paul, " have crucified
258 THE KINGDOM OF GOD, OH THE
their flesh, with the vices and concupis
cences:" and again, "I so fight, not as
one beating the air : but I chastise my
body, and bring it into subjection, lest per
haps when I have preached to others, I my
self should become a cast-away." Behold
the true explanation of these words, " Every
one that striveth for the mastery, refraineth
himself from all things." I so fight, he
says, in the contest that I abstain from all
those things, which can please the body
and which wage war against me ; these are
my carnal concupiscences. But by chas
tising my body by fastings and watchings,
and other mortifications of the flesh, I re
duce it into subjection that it may not
rebel against the soul, nor serve my
enemies.
But who does not f3ar and tremble with
his whole heart, when he remembers these
words: "Lest perhaps when I have
preached to others, I myself should become
a cast-away?" If this vessel of election
called by God Himself to be an Apostle,
and who was rapt up into the third heaven,
feared lest he should become a "cast-away,"
if he did not chastise his body and bring
it into subjection, who amongst us will not
also fear to be condemned, unless we crucify
our flesh with its vices and concupiscences?
This example of the Apostle ought truly to
admonish all men, that they must not ven
ture to hope for the crown, unless they be
Beriously converted; unless they bring forth
ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS. 259
worthy fruits of penance, and endeavour by
every possible means to bring the flesh into
subjection to the spirit. But how deplorable
are the blindness and foolishness of the
many, who mind not these things, nor
abstain from what is unlawful, but live so
securely as if they had received a most as
sured promise from God, that their salva
tion was certain ! But this is only another
proof, as we have already said, that few are
saved, and " that many are called but few
are chosen."
Unto Thee then do I fly, good Lord !
I am thy servant, and the son of thy hand
maid : I desire with my whole soul that
heavenly prize and most glorious crown,
which Thou hast prepared and promised to
those that love Thee. I know the greatness
of the contest and the length of the course ;
I know my weakness, and I confess before
Thee who searchest the reins^and the heart,
that I possess little or no virtue : neither
am I ignorant of the great power and cruel
hatred of my invisible enemies, who lament
that we so insignificant are destined for that
immense glory, from which they fell by
pride. " Enlighten my eyes that I never
sleep in death ;" increase my strength, lest
I faint on the way : may Thy grace defend
me, " lest at any time my enemy say : ]
have prevailed against him." But what I
ask for myself, I ask for all my Brethren
also ; and especially for those placed by
Thee in high dignities, whether ecclesias-
260 THE KINGDOM. OF GOD, &C.
tical or secular : their danger is so much
the -greater, as their functions are more
excellent. But the more glorious will be
their crown, if they perform their duties
properly ; and on the other hand, the more
terrible the punishment if through their
fault those souls perish, whom Thou hast
redeemed by Thy precious blood.
LA.US DEO SEMPER.
RICHARDSON AND SON, PRINTERS, DERBY.
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